Myanmar Rebels Damage Aircraft During Airbase Attack
By The Irrawaddy 16 August 2021
Some aircraft were hit by shrapnel in explosions at Magwe military airbase on August 8, according to the regime’s spokesman Major General Zaw Min Tun.
An alliance of resistance fighters and the Beikthano People’s Defense Force claimed responsibility, saying they jointly attacked the airbase to mark the 33rd anniversary of the 8888 uprising when hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets across the country to oppose military dictator General Ne Win in 1988.
“There were two explosions in the north and west of the airbase. Some hangars and aircraft were hit by shrapnel. We are still investigating the explosions,” said Maj-Gen Zaw Min Tun.
Some Magwe residents claimed three fighters were damaged in the explosions but the regime did not give details.
A resident said he heard two explosions, which left a large hole in a building.
“The first explosion was not too loud. But the second was so loud it felt like an earthquake and it woke everyone. I heard no one was injured in the explosions,”
The airforce commander, General Maung Maung Kyaw, visited Magwe Airbase on August 10 to meet personnel and their families, the military mouthpiece Myawaddy TV reported.
On April 29, airbases in Magwe and Meiktila in Mandalay Region were attacked with rockets.
The military regime said Magwe airbase was attacked with four rockets, one of which left a hole on the base.
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