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Myanmar’s second-busiest airport has been closed for two days after the military-backed government said pro-democracy rebels attacked the facility with drones, security sources told AFP on Friday.
Mandalay International Airport, a major hub for domestic and international flights in central Myanmar, was shut after six “suicide drones” targeted the facility on Thursday afternoon, according to the military-backed government.
The government said the attack caused no casualties but disrupted flight schedules.
A security source told AFP that the airport would remain closed on Friday and Saturday, adding that the attack occurred some distance from the airport building. The source, who spoke anonymously because they were not authorised to speak to the media, said the closure was a precautionary measure following the attack.
“The attack happened some distance from the airport building, but the airport is closed protectively,” the source said.
A second security officer working at another airport also confirmed that Mandalay airport would remain closed for maintenance until Sunday.
Myanmar’s military seized power in a 2021 coup, overthrowing Aung San Suu Kyi’s government and ending a decade-long period of democratic rule, which triggered the civil war.
Five years into the conflict, the military is conducting offensives against numerous pro-democracy and ethnic minority armed groups across the country.
Thursday’s reported drone attack was a rare acknowledgement of rebel activity in one of Myanmar’s major urban areas, which have largely remained under military control.
The military-backed government blamed the attack on pro-democracy guerrillas who took up arms after the coup, particularly the People’s Defence Forces. In its statement, the government described Mandalay airport as a non-military public transportation facility and said it had been targeted in the attack.
However, the civilian or military nature of the area targeted could not be independently verified. AFP reporters have previously seen military aircraft operating from or flying over Mandalay airport.
Both the military and rebel groups have increasingly deployed drones in the conflict, which some monitors estimate has killed more than 100,000 people.
Analysts say the military’s air force, equipped with Chinese- and Russian-made fighter jets, has played a crucial role in its campaign against rebel groups.
The Air Force has also been accused of attacking civilians at schools, monasteries and public festivals, with rights groups warning that some of the attacks could constitute war crimes.
