The nation’s second-busiest airport was closed for two days, security sources said, after the military-backed government accused pro-democracy rebels of attacking it with drones.
Mandalay airport is an international and domestic travel hub in central Myanmar, but civilian air raid warning groups also identify it as a runway for military jets launching sorties.
Six “suicide drones” attacked it on Thursday afternoon, the military-backed government said in a statement, causing no casualties but disrupting flight schedules.
However, a security source said yesterday: “Mandalay airport is closed for today and tomorrow.”
Thursday’s apparent drone raid was a rare acknowledgement of a rebel attack in one of Myanmar’s large urban areas, which have generally remained a stronghold for the military.
A government statement said the attack was on the airport, which it described as “a non-military, public transportation system”.
It was not possible to verify the civilian or military nature of the attack site, but AFP reporters have in the past seen military aircraft flying over the airport.
Rebel groups and Myanmar’s military are both now using drones in the civil war, which some monitors say has killed more than 100,000 people.
However, the military’s air force, stocked with jets, has proven vital in fending off rebel factions, analysts say.
The air wing has also been accused of targeting civilians at schools, monasteries and public festivals – inflicting mass casualties. — AFP
