Deadly Myanmar junta airstrike hits rebel-held mining town kills 13 including monk, child

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Myanmar has been engulfed by civil conflict since the military seized power in a coup in 2021, prompting resistance from pro-democracy rebels who allied with long-active ethnic armed organisations. read more
Men use a water cannon to search for rubies at the open pit of a ruby mine in Mogok. Reuters
A Myanmar government air assault on a rebel-held ruby mining hub killed 13 people on Saturday, according to a resident and an armed opposition group spokeswoman.
Myanmar has been engulfed by civil conflict since the military seized power in a coup in 2021, prompting resistance from pro-democracy rebels who allied with long-active ethnic armed organisations.
Their fragmented forces struggled to make ground at first, but a concerted attack that began in late 2023 conquered large chunks of land, including the town of Mogok, the heart of the ruby trade.
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Myanmar is rich in precious stones and rare earth elements, which are sought after by all groups and sold off, primarily to neighbouring China, to fund war efforts.
A junta representative was not available for comment.
However, a local who declined to be named for security reasons said the strike took place around 08:15 am (0145 GMT), killing seven instantly, with six dying later of their wounds.
He said among the dead were a Buddhist monk collecting alms and a father and son who were riding the same motorbike.
'A car passing through the area was hit, too,' he added. 'Seven people were wounded, including the driver.'
A spokeswoman for the Ta'ang National Liberation Army, which has occupied Mogok since last summer, matched that death toll, but gave a figure of 14 wounded.
'It was in the morning time when the airstrike hit a public area,' said spokeswoman Lway Yay Oo.
'There were a lot of people walking in the street, therefore a lot of people were killed.'
The military was initially backfooted by the rebels' combined offensive, but has enacted conscription to boost its ranks.
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Its troops recently retook several key settlements in central Myanmar, including the gold mining hub of Thabeikkyin, which it seized late last month after a year-long battle.
The junta on Thursday ended the state of emergency it had declared after toppling the government of Aung San Suu Kyi more than four years ago, and has touted elections in December as an off-ramp for the conflict.
However, with Suu Kyi still jailed, opposition groups, including ousted lawmakers, are boycotting the poll. A UN expert in June described the exercise as a 'fraud' designed to legitimise the junta's continued rule.