Myanmar military airstrike on monastery kills 14 civilians during meditation retreat

A Myanmar military airstrike on a monastery killed 14 people on Saturday. Civilians had gathered there for a meditation retreat marking a religious occasion.

Local reports place the strike in an area under contested control. The military has not released a detailed statement on the target or the circumstances.

Since the 2021 coup, airstrikes on civilian and religious sites have become a recurring feature of the conflict. Monasteries often serve as community shelters or gathering points in rural areas.

International monitoring groups have documented patterns of such attacks. Verification in real time remains difficult because of restricted access and competing claims.

The death toll of 14 adds to the cumulative civilian cost of the civil war. Religious sites carry particular sensitivity in a country where Buddhism holds central cultural weight.