Myanmar Military Bombs Presbyterian Church, Burns Baptist Church, Rights Group Says
Christian Solidarity Worldwide says two attacks in Chin and Kachin states this month are part of a pattern of strikes on churches in Myanmar's Christian-majority regions.
MINDAT, Myanmar —
Myanmar's military bombed a Presbyterian church compound in Chin State and burned a Kachin Baptist church days later, according to the UK-based advocacy group Christian Solidarity Worldwide, as reported by The Christian Post and Charisma News.
In the first attack, two military jets made bombing runs over the town of Mindat around 2:30 p.m. on Oct. 9, dropping four bombs at two sites, The Christian Post reported. One bomb struck a Presbyterian church compound and destroyed the building. No deaths or injuries were reported.
Three days later, on Oct. 12, troops from the military's 33rd and 88th Light Infantry Divisions set fire to the Htingnan Kachin Baptist Church and nearby homes in Bhamo, also called Banmaw, in Kachin State, CSW said. Col. Naw Bu, a spokesperson for the Kachin Independence Army, told The Irrawaddy that soldiers set the fire. Residents said the church, run by the Kachin Baptist Convention, had been burned once before.
The burning came as the military tried to retake Bhamo. The Kachin Independence Army and allied groups captured most of the town in 2025 but have lost some ground this year, according to The Christian Post.
CSW founder and president Mervyn Thomas called the destruction “clear violations of international humanitarian law and freedom of religion or belief.” He urged the international community to “move beyond statements of concern and take concrete steps” to cut off the junta's access to aviation fuel and military hardware.
CSW says the military deliberately targets churches in Christian-majority ethnic states such as Chin, Karenni and Kachin to punish civilians for armed resistance. Churches in those areas often serve as shelters, schools and aid centers.
The monitoring group Myanmar Witness reported in April that it recorded more than 300 airstrikes on religious sites, including churches, mosques and monasteries, from January 2024 through December 2025. Mindat has suffered repeated attacks since the military seized power in a coup in February 2021.
