Myanmar’s junta has pressed ahead with its campaign of air strikes despite the country’s devastating earthquake, with a rebel group saying on Sunday that seven of its fighters were killed in an aerial attack soon after the tremors hit.
The Myanmar military has increasingly turned to air strikes as it struggles to gain the upper hand against a complex array of anti-coup fighters and ethnic minority armed groups in the civil war.
Friday’s massive 7.7-magnitude earthquake, which has killed at least 1,700 people and destroyed thousands of homes and buildings, prompted some armed groups to suspend hostilities while the country deals with the crisis.
The guerilla People’s Defence Force will pause offensive military operations for two weeks except for defensive actions, effective on Sunday, the shadow National Unity Government said in a statement. It urged relief agencies and international groups to step up aid.
But fighters from the Danu People’s Liberation Army, an ethnic minority armed group active in northern Shan state, said they were hit by an air strike soon after the quake struck.
Five military aircraft attacked their base in Naungcho township, killing seven fighters, one of their officers said.
