An airstrike on a Buddhist monastery in Myanmar’s central Sagaing region killed at least 23 people who were taking shelter in the compound, separate sources said Friday,The overnight aerial attack on the monastery in Lin Ta Lu village, in Sagaing region’s Sagaing township, injured about 30 other people, of which 10 were in a critical condition, according to a member of a resistance group.The resistance member – who spoke on condition of anonymity – told The Associated Press that 23 civilians including four children were killed after a jet fighter dropped a bomb around 1 am on a building in the village’s monastery where more than 150 people from nearby villages were taking shelter to avoid fighting in the region in recent weeks,Myanmar’s independent Democratic Voice of Burma online media reported that the death toll could be as high as 30. That could not be immediately confirmed.The military did not immediately comment on the incident at the monastery, which is located about 35 km northwest of Mandalay, the country’s second largest city. In the past, the army has said it only attacks legitimate targets of war, accusing the resistance forces of being terrorists.Myanmar has been in turmoil since the army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021, triggering a civil war. After peaceful demonstrations were put down with lethal force, many opponents of military rule took up arms, and large parts of the country are now embroiled in conflict,The military has increasingly used airstrikes to counter opposition forces, including the armed People’s Defense Forces in Sagaing region, a stronghold of armed resistance.
