Myanmar Army replaces air force chief as part of bombing campaign Military news

Maung Maung Kyaw, a general under US sanctions, has been fired from his post since 2018.

Myanmar’s military leader has removed the head of the air force, according to media and sources close to the armed forces, after several actions. deadly bombings It caused worldwide condemnation to crush the resistance.

Sources told Reuters that 57-year-old Maung Maung Kyaw, an elite military general, has been replaced in office since 2018.

According to two sources, Htun Aung, who was the head of the air force, took office.

The change of military personnel led to another air strike on Thursday in Htigyaing, a town in the Sagaing region, according to the Kachin News Group. Armed residents have been fighting the military since Wednesday afternoon.

There were no public announcements that Maung Maung Kyaw had been removed and Reuters could not determine why military leader Min Aung Hlaing had been removed.

But Eleven Myanmar news website Zaw Min Tun, a spokesman for military generals, said Maung Maung Kyaw had “finished his service”.

“According to our military protocol, he (General Maung Maung Kyaw) will remain a member of the SAC. His chief of staff has become Commander-in-Chief (Air). after completing his duty, ”the spokesman said.

Since the military took power a coup on February 1st in the wake of mass protests and the resistance movement, the air force has been used to transport troops around Myanmar to calm the opposition.

Witnesses said the air force was also used to carry out bombings that killed civilians. The military has not commented on the allegations and says it is not pursuing civilians.

On Thursday, the Karen Information Center reported that on Tuesday, military airstrikes destroyed a hospital in Karen State’s Dwe Lo municipality.

The military, which has elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and imprisoned most of his allies, calls the government overthrown by opposition forces “terrorists”.

The Political Prisoners’ Association (AAPP) human rights group says more than 1,400 people have been killed in the coup, including those killed in the bombings. The military is discussing the number of dead reported.

Partying in London and Santorini

Maung Maung Kyaw was the subject of a Reuters investigation last year, saying her family members, including her son and nephew, were part of a young generation of military families with business interests that included providing armed forces.

Social media photos and posts — showing parties in expensive places in Singapore and trips to Bangkok, London, and Santorini — made her family members enjoy a life beyond the reach of most Burmese.

General Maung Maung Kyaw has been removed as Commander-in-Chief of the Myanmar Air Force, and Lieutenant General Tun Aung has become the new Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force. Lt-Gen Tun Aung has become general, and the change happened yesterday. pic.twitter.com/HVK9Eq7bfS

– Defres360.com (@ Defres360) January 11, 2022

Maung Maung Kyaw, who had Sanctions imposed by the United States in a coup d’état, Reuters did not respond to questions sent to the military before the investigation was published.

In recent weeks, airstrikes on the eastern border town of Kayah, Loikaw, where ethnic groups have joined forces with newly formed anti-coup organizations, have forced thousands to flee.

Opponents of the military say the Myanmar army has suffered heavy casualties in the fighting.

The military has not commented on reports of major losses.

Elsewhere, The Irrawaddy reported on Thursday that at least three residents of a village in the Sagaing region had been killed by military troops in an attack on Monday.

Among the dead was a person with a mental illness.

Images posted on social media by The Irrawaddy showed what looked like a burnt human body. Al Jazeera was unable to verify the report independently.