Myanmar junta airstrikes targeted the northern Shan State capital, Lashio, which is held by the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) on Friday, destroying a Chinese temple, according to residents.
The Lashio Reconstruction Group, formed by MNDAA to rehabilitate the war-torn city, reported four airstrikes on civilian targets with large 500-pound bombs early on Friday.
The MNDAA’s Kokang News reported that the airstrikes destroyed several religious buildings at a Chinese temple and a larger residential building under construction.
A resident was injured.
The MNDAA and its allies seized Lashio’s Northeast Military Command headquarters in early August after a month of fighting.
It was the first capital and regional military headquarters to be seized since the 2021 coup and has prompted heavy junta airstrikes since late August.
In early September junta boss Min Aung Hlaing vowed to retake lost territory with counteroffensives. Since the speech, his air force has conducted over 40 airstrikes across the country, killing over 180 people, including around 15 children.
Fourteen airstrikes have targeted Lashio, including schools, hotels, markets, religious sites and surrounding villages, killing nearly 10 people and injuring over 50 civilians.
A military analyst told The Irrawaddy that the junta airstrikes are not about retaking the city because there are no regime ground troops near Lashio but about stopping the MNDAA from governing and instilling fear in civilians.
The airstrikes also aim to deter displaced residents from returning to Lashio, the analyst said.
The MNDAA, Ta’ang National Liberation Army and Arakan Army comprise the Brotherhood Alliance, which has captured almost all of northern Shan State, seizing around 25 towns during Operation 1027 launched in October last year.
