ALBAWABA - According to an announcement by the Myanmar junta, seven drones were shot down over the military-built capital Naypyidaw on Thursday, in what appeared to be a rare attack on the junta's center of power by its opponents.
The junta's information team announced in a statement that four drones approaching Naypyidaw airport and three drones reaching Zayarthiri township in the capital "were successfully shot down and destroyed".
There was no damage or casualties, it said. Naypyidaw airport was briefly closed following the incident at 10 a.m. local time, according to a source at the airport who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
The source stated that there were no casualties as a result of the incident. They also stated that one of the drones shot down was carrying a bomb, which had been defused.
Pictures published by the junta's information team reportedly showed the aftermath showed a shattered, fixed-wing drone scattered on the runway and a large amount of debris in a wooded area.
According to local media, a PDF group in the area claims to have launched drones at military targets in Naypyidaw.
In recent months, waves of "drop bomb" strikes in Myanmar have driven out junta troops, targeted domestic airports, and murdered a brigadier-general near the Chinese border.
Last week, junta commander Min Aung Hlaing oversaw a military parade commemorating Armed Forces Day. According to observers, the parade was smaller than in recent years, with no tanks or missile launchers passing by.
In recent months, the junta has lost tracts of terrain along the border, and observers believe it is relying more on air and artillery operations to provide support for its vulnerable troops.
