11 children were killed as a result of indiscriminate shelling of a school by a gunship helicopter in Myanmar.
The United Nations children’s agency UNICEF condemned the incident, saying the children were killed in the airstrike as a result of “indiscriminate firing”, and demanded that the missing children be brought to light immediately.
According to UNICEF, a Myanmar military gunship helicopter shelled a school in northern Myanmar last Friday, killing 11 children and leaving 15 missing.
In a statement, UNICEF said it offered its condolences to the parents and families of the children who died, saying that schools must be safe and children should never be attacked.
The BBC Burmese service has confirmed the death of six children in the incident, including two boys aged 7 and 14 and three girls aged 7 to 11.
According to local sources, most of the dead bodies were taken away by the military personnel, while 6 more villagers, including five men and one woman, were also killed by the army.
According to Reuters, in photos shared on social media, bullet casings and blood can be seen in the school building.
On the other hand, Myanmar’s military government says that they targeted insurgents who had taken shelter in the school in the attack.
It should be noted that the Myanmar army seized power in February 2021 by overthrowing the democratically elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.
According to an organization that supports Burmese political prisoners, more than 1,500 people have been killed by security forces since the military coup.