The military council began using airstrikes more strategically

Myanmar Spring Chronicle – April 22 Scenes

MoeMaKa, April 23 2023

The military council began using airstrikes more strategically

The military council is engaged in a territorial battle on the ground, and when compared to the ethnic armed forces and the PDF, it has less fighting capacity and access to local support and intelligence. So, they can no longer fight a territorial battle; instead, they use air attacks as a strategic method every day or every week, to destroy ethnic armed groups and PDF bases, whom they consider enemies, with the deliberate aim of making the anti-military council forces and organizations unable to stand and the locals fleeing.

In recent years, when military council bases were attacked by ethnic armed groups, they occasionally carried out airstrikes as revenge for those incidents. A concert celebrating the founding of the KIA was attacked at the A Nant Pa camp. In June last year, a bombing attack on an AA camp near the eastern border of Karen State killed 6 people and destroyed buildings. Also, last year, there was an air attack on a mining site in Makkatha, in the area of KNU Brigade 6. These are not battlegrounds but rather a selective attack on a military or economic target.

In Sagaing Division, air strikes and raids by junta soldiers dropped from helicopters were carried out on the schools of Letyetkone Village in Tabayin Township, Yin Paung Taing Village in Yinmarbin Township, and Ohnnauk Village in Pale Township. Villages in Pakokku and Myaing Townships in the northern part of Magway Province were also attacked by air strikes and raided by junta soldiers dropped by helicopters.

These incidents happened in the middle and at the end of last year and the beginning of this year. The most recent incident in Pazigyi Village in Kanbalu Township was the air strike that caused the most casualties among civilians who were not members of the armed forces. It became an attack that could increase international pressure. Even though the military council is facing international pressure and criticism regarding the Pazigyi case, it is seen that they are conducting more air strikes.

The day before yesterday, a PaKaHpa office in a village in Htilin Township, Magway Division, was attacked from the air again. Because of less loss of manpower than ground attacks do, it can be deduced that the military council is carrying out more aerial attacks on the PDF’s village administrative office, the camps of the ethnic armed groups, and backup aircraft support during the battles.

According to the military strategy, the victory of the war cannot be achieved by air alone, but at the moment, in regions such as Sagaing, Northern Magway, Kayah State, and Chin State, the military council troops cannot move freely on the ground, so perhaps they have no other choice.

It is necessary for the forces fighting against the military council to undergo more training in methods and practices to be able to withstand and avoid airstrikes. They also need to educate and protect civilians. In a situation where air strikes are occurring almost every day, it is now necessary to find a way to prevent losses due to air strikes.