Myanmar airport closed following reported drone attack

Military government pins attack on pro-democracy rebels it has been battling since seizing power in 2021.

Mandalay International Airport was closed on September 11 amid reports of a drone attack [File: AFP]

Flight operations ‌at Myanmar’s second-busiest airport have been halted, as the country’s military-backed government accused rebel groups of attempted drone attacks.

Myanmar Airways International said on its Facebook page late on Thursday that all international flights from Mandalay’s Tada-U International Airport on September 11 and 12 had been cancelled.

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Domestic flights were being transferred to a nearby airport until further notice for “operational reasons”, the statement added.

The state-run Global New Light of Myanmar outlet reported that security forces had thwarted an attack on the airport by the People’s Defence Force. It said the pro-democracy rebel group had fired six “suicide drones” at ⁠the facility.

“The attack temporarily disrupted some ⁠domestic flights. However, no casualties or damage to vehicles or airport runways were reported,” the newspaper said.

Local media reported that resistance forces were targeting military jet fighters ⁠at the airport, although the situation could not be independently verified by Al Jazeera or news agencies.

Myanmar has been gripped by ⁠conflict since the ousting of an elected ⁠government led by Aung San Suu Kyi in a February 2021 coup, prompting a nationwide resistance movement that has evolved into a civil war between the ‌military and an array of armed ethnic and pro-democracy groups.

Min Aung Hlaing, Myanmar’s former military government chief, was elected president ‌by ‌a military-backed parliament in April, formalising his grip on power after five years of army rule.

This human rights situation in Myanmar has plummeted “to a new low,” according to the United Nations , citing “brutal abuse” of the Rohingya minority and the devastating impact of illicit economic activity, including illegal mining for rare earths.

Rebel groups and Myanmar’s military are now both using drones in the protracted civil war, which has killed more than 100,000 people, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) project.

军政府将此次袭击归咎于自 2021 年夺取政权以来一直与之作战的亲民主叛军。

9月11日，曼德勒国际机场因无人机袭击事件而关闭。[图片：法新社]

缅甸第二繁忙的机场的航班运营已经停止，因为该国军方支持的政府指责反叛组织企图发动无人机袭击。

缅甸国际航空公司周四晚在其Facebook页面上表示，9月11日和12日从曼德勒塔达乌国际机场起飞的所有国际航班均已取消。

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联合国称，缅甸人权状况“跌至新低”（共4个列表，此为第2个）。

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4/4 集束弹药将在2025年造成全球1000多人死亡或受伤。

声明还补充说，由于“运营原因”，国内航班将转移到附近机场，直至另行通知。

缅甸官方媒体《环球新光报》报道称，安全部队挫败了人民国防军对机场的袭击。报道称，亲民主反叛组织向该设施发射了六架“自杀式无人机”。

该报称：“袭击事件暂时中断了一些国内航班。不过，没有人员伤亡，也没有车辆或机场跑道受损的报告。”

当地媒体报道称，抵抗力量正在机场袭击军用喷气式战斗机，但半岛电视台或其他新闻机构无法独立核实这一情况。

自 2021 年 2 月昂山素季领导的民选政府被推翻以来，缅甸一直深陷冲突之中，引发了一场全国性的抵抗运动，这场运动已经演变成军方与一系列武装民族团体和亲民主团体之间的内战。

缅甸前军政府首脑敏昂莱于4月由军方支持的议会选举为总统，正式巩固了其在五年军人统治后的权力。

联合国指出，缅甸的人权状况已“跌至新低”，并列举了罗兴亚少数族裔遭受的“残酷虐待”以及非法经济活动（包括非法开采稀土）造成的毁灭性影响。

据武装冲突地点和事件数据 (ACLED) 项目称，反叛组织和缅甸军方目前都在这场旷日持久的内战中使用无人机，这场内战已造成超过 10 万人死亡。