Myanmar opposition launches drone attack on military’s stronghold capital

Shadow government says attack aims to undermine military rulers and show generals they have nowhere to hide.

Myanmar’s main pro-democracy opposition group says its armed wing has launched drone attacks on an airport and a military headquarters in the capital, Naypyidaw, but the military government says it has destroyed or seized more than a dozen drones used in the attacks.

Military-run Myawaddy TV reported on Thursday that 13 fixed-wing drones were shot down over the capital of military-ruled Myanmar in a foiled attack with no casualties or damage to property.

It said the foiled attack by “terrorists” sought to destroy important locations in Naypyidaw.

Myawaddy did not mention what the targets were but broadcast an image showing nine small drones, several of which were damaged. Of the 13 drones, four carried explosives, the report said.

Myanmar’s shadow government, the National Unity Government (NUG), and the anti-military armed group People’s Defence Force claimed responsibility for what they said was a synchronised, coordinated attack on Thursday on the military headquarters and an air force base.

An official from NUG said the drone attack was a success because it sought to undermine the military and show that its generals have nowhere to hide.

“This is a time when the junta is forcing conscription and causing fear for the people. With this attack on their nerve centre, Naypyidaw, we want to highlight that they don’t have a safe place,” NUG spokesperson Kyaw Zaw said without specifying whether targets had been hit.

In an interview uploaded on the NUG’s media channel late on Thursday, its permanent secretary, Naing Htoo Aung, said the home of army chief Min Aung Hlaing’s had been targeted and 30 drones were used.

“They have spent millions of dollars on a complex defence system, including air defences. It is the place where the military council assumed no attack could happen,” he said.

“That this three-year-old defence force was able to attack that kind of place shows a big step forward in the revolution.”

While there was no immediate evidence of any damage caused by the attack, it took place in one of the most heavily guarded locations in the country, representing a blow to the military.

The NUG said there were reports of casualties. Khit Thit, an online news service sympathetic to the resistance, said the airport was shut down for a while after the attacks.

Resistance group Kloud Team (Shar Htoo Waw), which specialises in drone warfare, is frequently employed by People’s Defence Force units, which lack the army’s heavy firepower.

For the resistance forces, drones have become crucial weapons for fighting back. Initially, smaller drones with lighter payloads were used, but now the opposition groups are using more sophisticated systems to drop explosives on military targets. Anti-military groups frequently post videos on social media of their drone attacks.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the military seized power from the elected civilian government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021, triggering nationwide peaceful protests that were suppressed with deadly force by the security forces, leading to armed resistance that amounts to a civil war.