Army planes carried out at least two strikes in Laukkai (northeast) on Thursday night, a local resident told AFP, requesting anonymity for security reasons.
At least 10 civilians were killed in the bombings, local media reported, citing a resident. Li Jiawen, spokesman for the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), one of the armed groups operating in Myanmar, said he did not know the number of casualties at this stage, but confirmed to AFP that a hospital had been targeted by the army.
Contacted by AFP, the ruling military junta declined to comment. Shan State, where Laukkai is located, has been the scene of new clashes since an alliance of ethnic armed groups resumed an offensive against the army along a highway crucial for trade with China, despite a ceasefire agreement signed under Beijing's auspices. Since then, the junta has repeatedly shelled Laukkai, a town of about 25,000 people in normal times, where the streets were deserted on Thursday.
MNDAA fighters captured the town in January after a battle seen as one of the worst setbacks ever inflicted on the junta.
In recent days, they have entered Lashio, a major town in Shan state where a regional army command is based.
A military source said fighting was continuing in Lashio today.
A local media outlet quoted a resident as saying MNDAA fighters had entered a military hospital and killed an unknown number of patients and nurses. AFP was unable to reach people on the ground or confirm the report.
The recent fighting in Shan state has killed or wounded dozens of civilians, according to the junta and local aid groups.
Since Myanmar’s independence in 1948, myriad groups have been fighting in the border regions for autonomy and control over lucrative resources.
Some of them are providing assistance to political opponents who took up arms in the wake of the 2021 coup.
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