News
Myanmar helicopter attack kills children
An army helicopter has opened fire on a school in Myanmar, killing 6 children and injuring 17
The military says it targeted the primary school because rebels were attacking them.
Reuters could not independently verify details of the violence that took place on Friday in the village of Let Yet Kone in the central Sagaing region.
According to reports in the Mizzima and Irrawaddy news portals, army helicopters had opened fire on the school housed in a Buddhist monastery in the village.
In a statement, the military said the Kachin Independence Army, a rebel group, and the People’s Defence Force (PDF), an umbrella organization of armed guerrillas that the junta calls “terrorists,” had been hiding in the monastery and using the village to transport weapons in the area.
Security forces sent by helicopter had conducted “a surprise inspection” and were attacked by PDF and the KIA inside houses and the monastery.
Chaos has erupted in the country since the army overthrew the elected Government, at the start of 2021.