At least 11 children have died and 15 are missing after a bombardment and ground attack carried out by the Burmese army in civilian areas of the Sagaing region of Myanmar (former Burma), according to Unicef.
The attack, which included aerial bombardment from Tatmadaw helicopters and “indiscriminate” firing as troops landed, took place on Friday, according to the UN agency, which said in a statement details of the incident were still being verified.
At least 15 children from the same bombed school, located inside a Buddhist monastery, are missing, apparently kidnapped, and UNICEF is demanding their “immediate and safe release”.
“Schools are a safe space. Children should never be attacked,” UNICEF said.
Independent Burmese media reported the attack by the Burmese army, responsible for the February 1, 2021 coup, which plunged the country into a continuous spiral of violence and destruction.
According to Myanmar Now, in a news report dated Monday, the army launched an air and ground attack on several places in Depaying town in Sagaing during school hours on Friday.
Most of the victims are students at a school in Let Yet Kone, where the military is said to have kidnapped teachers and students.
The Burmese military junta said the bombing was carried out in response to an attack by insurgent groups, with “extremists” hiding in the monastery, a claim denied by the People’s Defense Forces (PDF), a movement that emerged in opposition to the coup. d ‘état., according to the Burmese outlet The Irrawaddy.
Irrawaddy reported that resistance troops were protecting the school when two helicopters carried out the attack, with about 80 soldiers surrounding the space.
In a statement from the National Unity Government (NUG), made up largely of members of the ousted government of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, the “inhumane attack” is condemned, calling it a “brutal war crime.” .
According to the Association for Helping Political Prisoners, a local NGO that collects information on the junta’s attacks, at least 57 children under the age of 13 have been killed by the military since the coup, out of a total of nearly 2,300 civilians who lost their lives. life. their lives at the hands of the Burmese security forces.
Source: TSF
