Myanmar military bases targeted with rocket fire days after rebels attack outpost on Thai border

The Myanmar military has confirmed two air force bases, in Magway and Meiktila, came under rocket fire on Thursday within days of rebels seizing control of an outpost on the Thai border.

The junta said that no damage had been done to the sites, though four rockets were fired at the Magway base and five at the establishment in Meiktila.

Footage shared on social media purported to capture one rocket strike at around 5am local time, with the sound of explosions heard in the background.

Locals told Myanmar news outlets that three loud bangs had been heard at the Magway base, before the military tightened security in the area and conducted searches in an attempt to find those behind the attack. Similar reports were made around the Shante air base in Meiktila, located in Myanmar’s Mandalay region.

Military officials have not accused anyone of being behind the attacks and no group has yet claimed responsibility for the rocket fire. 

The attack on the bases comes days after the Karen National Union (KNU) rebel group claimed to have successfully attacked and destroyed a military outpost located on the border with Thailand, sparking retaliatory air strikes from the junta. 

Since the February 1 coup, in which the military deposed democratically-elected civilian leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, local monitoring groups have reported at least 750 civilians have been killed and over 4,500 detained in the junta’s crackdown.

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