Local humanitarian workers have confirmed that the death toll has risen to 16 following the military council’s aerial bombardment of Light Ray Monastery and its surrounding area in the eastern part of Mogok city, Mandalay Region, which was under the control of ethnic armed organizations. The military council conducted the airstrike without any ongoing battle in the area. On August 14 at 8:30 PM, the military forces dropped 500-pound bombs on Light Ray Monastery and its surrounding neighborhood near Nga Pat Mountain in eastern Mogok Township, resulting in the immediate deaths of at least 10 civilians, including novice monks, children, mothers, and elderly residents. The following morning, during the clearing of debris, six more bodies were discovered.
The bodies of those killed in the military council’s airstrike were found severely dismembered and not intact. The remains of the deceased were properly cremated during the afternoon, according to local sources. Simultaneously, in Hpakant Township of Kachin State, military council forces conducted airstrikes that resulted in the death of one civilian, as confirmed by local news sources. On August 14 at approximately 12:30 PM, the military council launched a drone strike along the Hpakant-Nan Ya road, killing one civilian passenger vehicle driver and seriously injuring two other civilians.
Furthermore, on August 15 at 12:10 PM, the military council forces conducted additional airstrikes within Hpakant Township using fighter aircraft. They continuously dropped bombs near Hmaw Sit Pan village and Sha Raw Hka area where intense fighting was occurring, and also conducted machine gun fire from aircraft, dropping at least 15 bombs. Currently, residents from villages in Hpakant Township are taking shelter in bomb shelters due to fear of airstrikes, while others have temporarily evacuated from areas considered most vulnerable to aerial attacks. The ongoing military operations in Hpakant have lasted over three months, causing the displacement of at least 5,000 civilians from 10 villages, with reports indicating that the military forces have unlawfully killed more than 60 civilians, according to local residents.
