Myanmar army carried out air strike on its own people, killing 80 civilians and injuring more than 100

Myanmar’s army has carried out air strikes on its own people. The airstrikes killed more than 80 people, including singers and musicians, who attended the anniversary celebrations of the Kachin ethnic minority group. A spokesman for the Kachin Arts Association said 80 people were killed in the airstrikes and about 100 others were injured. He said that 4 bombs were dropped from the military aircraft at the venue.

The attacks come three days after the foreign ministers of Southeast Asian countries are scheduled to hold a special meeting in Indonesia to discuss the widespread violence in Myanmar. For the first time since the military coup in February last year, the airstrikes at the ceremony held on Sunday night have come to the notice of such a large number of people killed in a single attack.

Horrible scene seen after the attack
It is impossible to independently confirm the details of the incident. However, a video shared by media sympathetic to Kachin shows the horrific aftermath of the attack. The Military Government Information Office confirmed that the headquarters of the 9th Brigade of the Kachin Independence Army had been attacked, calling it a necessary operation in response to terrorist acts committed by the Kachin group. The Information Office, however, dismissed reports of casualties in large numbers and denied that the military bombed the concert and that the audience was among the dead.

‘Use of force against unarmed civilians’
The UN office in Myanmar said it was deeply concerned and saddened by the reports of the air strikes. The use of force by the security forces against unarmed civilians is unacceptable, the statement said. The people responsible for this should be held accountable. Demands for autonomy by ethnic minorities in Myanmar have been rejected for decades. Celebrations of the 62nd anniversary of the founding of the Kachin Independence Organization were being held on Sunday at the site, which is also used by Kachin’s military wing for military training. It is located in the Hapakant region, about 950 km from Yangon, the largest city in Myanmar.