14 killed, 20 injured as Myanmar airstrike hits Buddhist monastery during meditation retreat

August 21, 2026

Naypyidaw (Myanmar): Myanmar’s military carried out an airstrike on a Buddhist monastery in the central Sagaing region on Friday, killing 14 people and injuring 20 others during a week-long meditation retreat, according to an opposition group and a local resident.

Airstrike hits monastery in Sagaing

The strike took place at around 9 a.m. local time in Swel Le Oh village in Myaung township, around 75 kilometres west of Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city.

According to Nway Oo, a spokesperson for the Civil Defence and Security Organisation of Myaung Township (CDSOM), a jet fighter dropped a bomb inside the monastery compound while people were attending the meditation retreat.

The attack killed 14 people, including three women, while 20 others were injured. Details about the identities of those killed and the condition of the injured were not immediately available.

Monastery was hosting meditation retreat

The monastery was hosting a week-long meditation retreat when the airstrike occurred. The attack turned the religious gathering into a scene of devastation, with civilians among those reportedly killed and injured.

The incident has raised fresh concerns over civilian casualties linked to air operations in Myanmar, which has been engulfed in armed conflict since the military seized power.

Airstrikes pose threat to civilians

Myanmar’s military has frequently used air power against armed pro-democracy groups and ethnic armed organisations. Opposition groups and local residents have repeatedly reported civilian deaths and injuries during such operations.

Sagaing remains one of the regions heavily affected by fighting between the military and forces opposed to military rule.

Conflict continues to take civilian toll

Myanmar’s conflict involves the military, pro-democracy forces and various ethnic armed groups. Airstrikes have become a recurring feature of the fighting, with civilians often caught in the violence.

Friday’s reported attack is the latest incident involving an aerial strike at a civilian location. The reported bombing of a monastery being used for a meditation retreat has renewed concerns about the impact of military operations on people not directly involved in the conflict.