Pro-democracy rebels in Myanmar on 11th September took credit for a drone attack that blocked the country’s second-largest airport, in which they said they had attacked military aircraft that were parked at the aviation hub. 

The military-backed government on Thursday (September 10, 2026), in a statement, said it had on Thursday afternoon thwarted an attack on Mandalay Airport in central Myanmar by six “suicide drones,” which caused no casualties but disrupted flights. 

The accusation said that rebels were attacking “a non-military, public transportation system”. 

They attacked Russian-made Yak-130 fighter jets, which were stored on the runway, the People’s Defence Forces rebel group said.

The People’s Defence Forces are the biggest pro-democracy guerrilla group to be established since the military staged a coup in 2021, ousting the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.

According to a statement that was published on the group’s Facebook page, three of its members were shot and killed while setting up the attack.

It charged the government with “misinformation, designed to suggest that the focus is on civic Mandalay International Airport across from the airbase”.

The airport was closed protectively for most of the day Friday but reopened around 4 p.m. (0930 GMT), a security source told AFP.

Mandalay airport is an international and domestic air travel centre, and civilian air raid warning groups often see it as a launching pad for military jets in sorties during the civil war.

After five years of conflict, the military is now on the offensive against the myriad of pro-democracy and ethnic minority guerrilla groups it is battling.

The apparent drone strike on Thursday (September 10, 2026) was one of the rare publicly admitted attacks by rebels in a major city which has been a stronghold for the military.

The civilian or military origin of the attack location could not be confirmed, but AFP journalists have witnessed military flights over Mandalay airport in the past.

Both rebel groups and Myanmar’s military have recently introduced drones into their war, and some monitors estimate the conflict, which began in 1949, has claimed over 100,000 lives.

The army’s air force – filled with Chinese- and Russian-made planes – has been critical in repelling opposition groups, however, analysts say.

The air wing has also been accused of targeting civilians at schools, monasteries and public festivals – inflicting mass casualties flagged by rights groups as potential war crimes.