Junta Jet Bombs Monastery During Water Plant Ceremony in Shwebo Township, Killing Abbot and Two Elders

A Myanmar Air Force fighter jet from Meiktila Air Base dropped three bombs on a monastery compound in Hnamasaryit Village, Shwebo Township, Sagaing Region, around 12:30 p.m. on September 16, 2026, as the 43-year-old abbot led a ceremony handing over a newly built community water purification plant. The abbot and two village elders in their 60s were killed instantly; eight others were injured. Junta Infantry Battalion 42 followed the airstrike with artillery fire on the village.