A motorized paraglider attack killed three civilians, including a nine-year-old, and injured at least five others, in Thanbo village of Taungtha Township, Mandalay Region, on Monday.
“There was neither [People’s Defence Force] camp nor ongoing fighting [with regime forces] in the village,” a People’s Defence Force (PDF) member told DVB.
An airstrike on April 18 killed two and injured five in Nanti village of Taungtha, which is located 83 miles (133 km) southwest of the region’s capital Mandalay.
At least six people were killed and seven others were injured by airstrikes on Thindaw village in Kanbalu Township, Sagaing Region, on April 20.
“There was no ongoing battle in the area,” Kyaw Gyi, a Kanbalu resident, told DVB. Kanbalu is located 105 miles (169 km) north of the region’s capital Monywa.
An airstrike was carried out the same day on Yayhtwak village in Thabeikkyin Township, Mandalay Region, but no casualties were reported by the PDF. A previous airstrike on Saturday killed at least 24 civilians and injured 20, the PDF added.
“Thabeikkyin has been targeted by at least 14 airstrikes this month,” the PDF in Mandalay Region told DVB.
On April 18, the PDF reported that at least 13 civilians were killed and an unknown number were injured by airstrikes on Yayhtwak and Laikkya villages in Thabeikkyin. An unknown number of homes and shops were destroyed by fire caused by the airstrikes.
The two villages are located along the Mandalay-Mogok highway, where locals engage in gold mining for their livelihoods. Thabeikkyin is located 90 miles (144 km) north of Mandalay and has been under the control of the National Unity Government (NUG) since Aug. 25.
Reports online state that the regime has increased the use of airstrikes in “Operation Yan Naing Min” to reclaim lost territory in Sagaing, Mandalay and Magway regions. This counteroffensive began in September and has overwhelmingly targeted civilians, according to residents and the PDF.
The NUG administers Khampat, Mawlu, Pinlebu, Shwe Pyi Aye and Indaw towns in Sagaing Region, Singu, Tagaung and Thabeikkyin towns in Mandalay Region, as well as Myothit town in Magway Region.
“We’ve been experiencing airstrikes, drone, and paramotor attacks almost daily,” a PDF member in Sagaing Region told DVB. Air raid shelters and trenches have been constructed by residents to hide during the air and artillery strikes.
At least two Buddhist monks were killed and another two were injured by an airstrike on a monastery in Thaminchan village of Kanni Township, Sagaing Region, on April 14. Kanni is located 37 miles (59 km) northwest of Monywa.
Pro-military channels on social media have claimed that regime airstrikes are targeting the PDF and the NUG. Both are considered “terrorist” organizations by the regime in Naypyidaw. The NUG and PDF also claim that the military, which seized power after the 2021 coup, is also “terrorist.”
On the first day of the Thingyan water festival on April 13, two civilians were killed and at least 10 others were injured by an airstrike on Chaunggyi village in Thabeikkyin. Nearly 15 homes were destroyed in the attack, the PDF in Mandalay Region told DVB.
Thabeikkyin residents said that at least 50 civilians have been killed in 14 airstrikes from the start of the Thingyan festival up to April 20.
Over 20 airstrikes have been carried out by the Myanmar Air Force on Thabeikkyin, Singu, Ngazun and Madaya townships of Mandalay Region from April 13-16. All the towns are either partially or totally controlled by the NUG. Singu, Ngazun and Madaya are located 23-128 miles (37-202 km) north of Mandalay.
At least 101 people have been killed and 231 others have been injured in 92 air and artillery attacks carried out by the regime in central Myanmar from April 13 – the first day of Thingyan – until April 21, according to DVB data.
The regime has carried out 217 air and artillery attacks since it announced a 20-day ceasefire on April 2. Since the earthquake on March 28, 280 total attacks have killed 230 and injured 437.
