Villages in Thaung Tha and Myaing Townships of Mandalay Region have been subjected to eleven aerial attacks by the military council’s armed forces using helicopter gunships over a two-day period, forcing local residents to flee to safety according to local sources. Residents report that the military forces deliberately choose times when civilians are sleeping to conduct their almost daily aerial assaults, resulting in villagers no longer daring to sleep in their homes at night and instead seeking refuge elsewhere.
On August 10, four helicopter gunships from the Meiktila Air Base conducted seven separate bombing raids on villages in the southeastern part of Thaung Tha Township, beginning at 4:53 AM. While the extent of civilian casualties from these aerial attacks cannot yet be confirmed, local residents have been forced to evacuate to safer locations. The systematic nature of these attacks has created a pattern of displacement, with villagers having to regularly abandon their homes to avoid the military council’s airstrikes.
Similarly, on August 8, villages in the northeastern part of Myaing Township were targeted by helicopter gunships from Meiktila Air Base, with four separate bombing raids beginning at 1:19 AM. Following the initial bombing runs, the military forces proceeded to strafe the areas with machine gun fire, compelling local residents to flee for their lives. According to a local resident’s testimony, the military council forces are specifically targeting civilian populations in these attacks, though the full extent of casualties and damage remains unconfirmed as communities continue to seek shelter away from their homes.
