Myanmar military bombing kills 14 at Buddhist monastery, opposition reports

A military air strike has killed 14 people at a Buddhist monastery in central Myanmar, an opposition group and a local resident have reported.

The attack occurred in Swel Le Oh village in Myaung township, about 75 kilometres (47 miles) west of Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city, Nway Oo, a spokesperson for the Civil Defense and Security Organization of Myaung Township (CDSOM) said Friday.

A fighter jet bombed the village monastery’s compound, killing 14, including three women, and injuring 20 more, Nway Oo said.

More than 100 people were staying in and around the monastery for a weeklong retreat for Buddhist Lent, according to a local villager who anonymously told The Associated Press news agency that the plane had dropped two bombs on the village 15 minutes apart.

The villager confirmed CDSOM’s death toll of 14, and said his mother-in-law was killed in the attack.

BBC’s Burmese Service and local media outlets reported the death toll at between 10 and 14.

The military did not immediately comment on the strike, but has previously said it only attacks legitimate targets.

Myanmar has been embroiled in a near countrywide civil war since the army seized power from the elected government in February 2021. After the military government violently suppressed peaceful demonstrations, many opponents of military rule took up arms.