YANGON: Opponents of Myanmar’s junta launched a drone attack on the military-built capital Naypyidaw on Thursday, they and the junta said, in a rare attack on the military’s centre of power.

The ouster of Aung San Suu Kyi’s democratically elected government in a 2021 coup sparked renewed fighting with ethnic minority armed groups, as well as with pro-democracy “Peoples Defence Forces” (PDFs) in areas previously untouched by decades of conflict.

The junta said that “terrorists” — as it terms the PDF — had targeted “important buildings and departments” with 13 fixed-wing drones.

Two drones were destroyed in the air and the rest were downed, the junta’s information team said in a statement, adding that four had been carrying explosives.

Those four were destroyed in controlled explosions, it said, adding that the attack had caused no casualties or damage.

The “national unity government” (NUG), dominated by lawmakers ousted in the coup who are now working to topple the junta, said it had carried out the attack with a local PDF.

Naypyidaw’s airport was temporarily closed after the incident around 10am local time (0330 GMT), according to a source at the airport.

The source confirmed there were no casualties there, adding that one of the downed drones was carrying a bomb that was later defused.

Pictures released by the junta’s information team purportedly of the aftermath showed nine broken fixed-wing drones lying on display, and a large piece of debris in a wooded area.

Local media reported that a PDF group in the area said it had launched drones at military targets in Naypyidaw.

The NUG said on Facebook that the attack had targeted the military’s headquarters and a military air base in Naypyidaw, adding that “initial reports” suggested there had been casualties.

It did not provide details or say what kind of drones had been used in the attack.

The junta statement did not give details on the buildings or locations it thought had been targeted.

‘Drop bombs’

Outgunned and outnumbered, opponents of the junta have increasingly taken drones into their arsenal, with devastating effect.

Many groups operate commercial drones adapted to carry bombs that can be dropped on military positions.

In recent months, waves of such “drop bomb” attacks across Myanmar have displaced junta troops from positions, hit domestic airports and killed a brigadier-general near the China border.

The term has even entered the lexicon of junta-controlled media, which regularly attacks PDF groups that use the drones in battle.

Published in Dawn, April 5th, 2024