Myanmar's military launched airstrikes over the weekend after clashes with fighters opposed to the junta in the Sagaing region, according to media and a militia member, as phone lines and the internet were also severed in some districts.
The Southeast Asian country has been in crisis since the army seized power on Feb. 1, ending a decade of tentative steps toward democracy and triggering outrage at home and abroad and the setting up of People's Defence Forces (PDFs) to take on the military.
The DVB news portal reported the airstrikes occurred as the army staged an offensive in the Pinlebu area of Sagaing in northwest Myanmar, citing residents who heard aircraft and explosions on Saturday night before phone lines and the internet went down.