Myanmar village air strike kills at least 12

LETPANHLA, Myanmar: A Myanmar junta airstrike on a village held by anti-coup fighters killed at least 12 people according to a local administrative official, who said the bombardment targeted civilian areas.

Myanmar´s military seized power in a 2021 coup which has plunged the country into a fractious civil war and analysts say the embattled junta is increasingly using air strikes to target civilians.

The Friday afternoon strike hit the village of Letpanhla around 60-kms north of the country´s second biggest city of Mandalay. The village in Singu township is held by the People´s Defence Forces (PDF) -- anti-coup guerillas who took up arms after the military toppled the country´s civilian government four years ago.