Myanmar airport shut after rebel drone attack

MANDALAY — Myanmar's second-busiest airport was closed for two days on Friday, security sources told Agence France-Presse (AFP), a day after the military-backed government accused pro-democracy rebels of attacking it with drones.

"Mandalay airport is closed for today and tomorrow," a security source told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to talk to the media.

A second security officer working at another Myanmar airport, also requesting anonymity, confirmed the Mandalay facility would be "closed for maintenance" until Sunday.

Mandalay airport is an international and domestic travel hub in central Myanmar, but civilian air raid warning groups also identify it as a runway for military jets.

Six "suicide drones" targeted the airport area, causing delays to some domestic flights but no casualties, a government statement said on Thursday.

Mandalay International Airport, Myanmar. (Google Maps)

Myanmar has been embroiled in civil war since a 2021 military coup ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.

The government statement blamed the apparent drone attack on pro-democracy rebels known as the People's Defence Forces.

"Security forces performing air defence duties detected them using air defence systems," it said.

"To ensure public safety, security personnel systematically neutralised the explosive materials carried by the drones."

After five years of civil war, Myanmar's military is on the offensive against the myriads of pro-democracy and ethnic minority guerilla groups it is battling.

Thursday's statement was a rare acknowledgement of an attack by a rebel faction in an urban area which is a military stronghold.

Both rebel groups and Myanmar's military are now using drones in the conflict, which has claimed more than 100,000 lives according to some monitors.

But the military's conventional air force composed of Russian and Chinese manufactured jets has proven vital to recent battlefield successes, analysts say.

International rights monitors say the air wing is also responsible for regular mass casualty attacks on civilians’ targets including schools and monasteries.