At least 11 children died and 17 were injured after the Myanmar military raged air strikes against a school inside a monastery in Let Yet Kone village in Tabayin Township, Sagaing Region of Myanmar this week.
The horrifying attack began when two junta helicopters fired machine guns and heavy weapons into the school compound continuously for an hour. The Junta troops then entered the premises of the monastery where the school is situated and kept firing indiscriminately. The military alleged that they opened fire on the school because rebels were using it as a safe house and attacking the armed forces from within.
The military later transported the bodies to a township 11 km away and buried them. According to a report by Save the Children, in 2021, documented violent attacks on schools increased to around 190 from 10 in the previous year.
The Special Advisory Committee for Myanmar has condemned the attack saying, “The airstrikes could not have taken place without authorization from commanders who ultimately report to Commander-in-Chief of the military, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing through their chain of command.
“The United Nations and ASEAN are allowing this to happen. Children in Myanmar will continue to suffer and die at the hands of this barbaric military until it is stopped, and its leaders finally brought to justice. How many more innocent children need to be killed for the United Nations and ASEAN to take definite action?”
For over twelve months now, the Myanmar military has conducted the most brutal of crackdowns, going to any extent to curb any kind of dissent against its rule. The mass atrocities continue in a steadfast manner with the international community failing to hold the military accountable for its crimes against the citizens of the country.
