Four civilians, including two school-aged children, were killed and several others injured when the military junta carried out a deadly airstrike on Nwe Inn village in Sagaing Region’s Pale Township on 18 May, according to local resistance forces.
The attack occurred around 12:40 pm when two jet fighters dropped three bombs on the village, said Ko Nay Min, a logistics officer from Yinmarbin District Battalion 12 of the People’s Defence Forces (PDF). The bombs hit different sections of the village, one destroying a house near a dam in the east, another striking the village centre, and the third landing in the western part.
Among the dead were Hpone Min Thant, a sixth-grade student, and Ma Kyal Sin Oo, a twelfth-grade student. Two other adult civilians, Daw Mary and Ma Thin Myat Thu, also lost their lives. Six more villagers, including a two-year-old child, were wounded in the blast, with several in critical condition.
“The two-year-old boy is in a very serious state. His arm was severed, and his lower body sustained grave injuries,” Ko Nay Min said.
Local residents reported that the airstrike was premeditated. In the days leading up to the bombing, junta reconnaissance planes specifically a Y-12 aircraft were seen repeatedly flying over the area, seemingly identifying targets in what locals believe was a systematic operation against civilians.
Pale Township, now largely under the control of resistance forces, has seen no recent clashes, according to local sources. The junta retains control only over the township’s urban areas and a few pro-military villages such as Inn Ma Htee and Zee Gone, where Pyu Saw Htee militias are active.
In a separate incident on the same day, the military launched another airstrike on Lake Kya village in Thabeikkyin Township, Mandalay Region, at around 7:09 pm. That attack injured two men and destroyed three homes, according to Pyin Oo Lwin District People’s Defence Force.
Civilian casualties from aerial assaults have been escalating. Data compiled by Mizzima shows that from 1 to 15 May alone, junta airstrikes killed at least 126 people and injured 310 others nationwide.
Despite international condemnation, the junta continues to rely heavily on airpower to target resistance strongholds and civilian areas, a strategy that has devastated countless communities while drawing criticism for its disregard of international humanitarian law.
