In the northwestern Sagaing region of Burma, a bombardment and ground assault conducted by the Burmese Army caused grave harm in civilian areas, including a school. UNICEF reported that at least eleven children were killed and fifteen minors were reported missing after the Friday attack, which involved aerial bombardment by Tatmadaw helicopters and indiscriminate gunfire. Details released by the UN agency indicate that the events occurred after troops landed, and confirmation of all particulars is still in progress.
A second line of concern emerged as fifteen children from the same school, located inside a Buddhist monastery, were believed to have been abducted. UNICEF called for their immediate and safe release, underscoring that schools are safe spaces where children should not be harmed.
Local Burmese independent media have described the operation as among the most lethal strikes against minors since the February 2021 coup, which has triggered a prolonged cycle of violence across the country. Reports indicate that air and ground forces targeted several towns in Sagaing and Depaying Municipality during school hours. Myanmar Now published details suggesting that many victims were students at a school in Let Yet Kone. There are claims that teachers and students were abducted, with a witness saying two helicopters appeared without warning and opened fire on villages. The witness, whose name was withheld, reported that residents dropped to the ground to seek protection as the helicopters circled and discharged munitions.
The junta’s responsibility for the bombing has been asserted in various media outlets, which describe the attack as an act tied to the onslaught against rebel groups. Some outlets frame certain insurgent figures hiding within the monastery as a movement opposing the coup, while resistance forces linked to the People’s Defense Forces (PDF) deny such characterizations. Visual accounts from the period show that guardians protected the school as two Mi-35M helicopters, produced by a Russian subsidiary, conducted the strike. Shortly after, approximately eighty troops were deployed to the area and surrounded the school.
A statement from the Government of National Unity, formed largely by former members of the deposed leadership associated with Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, condemned the assault as an inhuman act and described it as a brutal war crime. The declaration framed the incident within a broader struggle over Burma’s political trajectory and the safety of civilians amid ongoing conflict.
Cumulatively, data compiled by the Association for Assistance to Political Prisoners indicate that at least fifty-seven children under thirteen have lost their lives since the coup. The NGO continues to monitor and document civilian casualties in the region as part of its ongoing work to account for abuses and to advocate for accountability.