Over two days, Myanmar’s military carried out devastating airstrikes in Sagaing Region, dropping more than 100 bombs and firing over 50 artillery shells on villages. Witnesses describe a night of terror as families fled into the forests, leaving behind their homes, livestock, and belongings. Activists say this is part of a wider strategy to crush resistance in the region.
BY PC bureau
At least 17 civilians, including children and internally displaced people (IDPs), were killed in a series of air and artillery strikes carried out by the Myanmar military junta in Monywa, Chaung-U, and Salingyi townships in Sagaing Region on Wednesday and Thursday, according to local media based on sources and anti-regime groups. Over 30 others were wounded in the attacks.
Escalation of Military Violence
A representative from the People’s Defense Force (PDF) in Monywa reported that the junta deployed two paragliders to drop bombs on villages along the Chindwin River near the Monywa-Chaung-U border on Thursday afternoon. Among the casualties were women and a child.
Additionally, No. 2 Police Station in Monywa and junta-controlled checkpoints at the town’s entrances fired artillery shells on Wednesday evening. This was followed by bombing raids using Y-12 aircraft, which struck a displacement camp in Chaung-U, killing three civilians, according to a member of Monywa District PDF Battalion 4.
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“Residents from at least six villages in Monywa Township and three villages in Chaung-U Township were forced to flee overnight due to the bombing raid,” the PDF member told The Irrawaddy. “We have retrieved the victims’ bodies, but we could not hold a funeral for them as villagers have fled. Junta troops are also raiding villages.”
Widespread Destruction and Forced Displacement
Junta artillery units reportedly fired at least 50 shells, while warplanes dropped more than 100 bombs, killing civilians, destroying homes, and killing dozens of cattle. Monywa, the capital of Sagaing Region, houses the Myanmar military’s Northwestern Command, which has been central to the military’s crackdown in the region. The neighboring townships of Chaung-U and Salingyi have been subjected to continuous attacks and raids since Brigadier General Myo Min Htwe assumed command in December.
More than 200 civilians, including women, have been arbitrarily detained in Monywa since January, according to local sources.
A resident of Chaung-U Township said: “The villages targeted by the airstrikes are at least four kilometers apart. They are deliberately targeting civilians. The worst part of the attack was that they struck a displacement camp. It was an intentional war crime.”
Breaking: #Sagaing Region, The junta Military is bombing and attack with air strikes to the villages in the south of Monywa City. The death toll is up to seven.#2025Feb13Coup#Airbusted#AirBus2AirStrikes#WhatsHappeningInMyanmar pic.twitter.com/BPNgr8ir5G
— Nwe (@scarlletnn) February 13, 2025
As the airstrikes continued, around 100 junta troops raided villages, forcing over 10,000 people from at least 10 villages in Monywa, Chaung-U, and Salingyi townships to flee their homes.
“Aircraft were flying over villages this morning. We fled overnight without sleeping. We have left behind our cattle, and many were killed. Nyaungphyubin and Thitseint were hit hardest,” a Monywa resident told The Irrawaddy on Thursday morning.
The Sagaing Region has been a stronghold of anti-junta resistance since the military coup in February 2021, with local PDFs actively fighting against junta forces. In response, the military has employed increasingly brutal tactics, including indiscriminate airstrikes, mass detentions, and systematic destruction of villages, leading to a growing humanitarian crisis.
Despite mounting international condemnation, the junta continues its campaign of violence in Sagaing and other resistance strongholds. The civilian death toll rises daily, while tens of thousands remain displaced, facing food shortages, lack of medical aid, and continued fear of renewed attacks.
