YANGON / WASHINGTON — Civilian casualties in Myanmar are spiraling out of control due to indiscriminate airstrikes and forced conscription by the military junta. Meanwhile, the U.S. administration under Donald Trump has bypassed severe human rights abuses, engaging in secret talks with the military regime to secure critical mineral resources.

Infant Among 11 Killed in Indiscriminate Bombing

According to AFP on the 18th (local time), Myanmar’s shadow National Unity Government (NUG) stated that the military bombed a village in the Yesagyo township, southwest of Myanmar's second-largest city, Mandalay, on the 16th. The attack left 11 civilians dead, including two children—such as a 1-year-old infant—and six women.

"A bomb fell near a road, completely destroying three houses," an eyewitness said. "All the victims, including an 11-year-old student riding a bicycle, died instantly at the scene."

Myanmar’s military overthrew the democratically elected government led by State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi (81) in a 2021 coup, seizing control of the capital Naypyidaw, the commercial hub Yangon, and other major areas. The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), an international non-profit research organization, estimates that the civil war between the military and democratic resistance forces, which has dragged on for nearly six years since the coup, has claimed over 100,000 lives.

Facing severe troop shortages due to the protracted conflict, the junta has resorted not only to forced conscription but has also turned a blind eye to human trafficking and abductions. Local residents told the BBC that plainclothes junta affiliates are seizing young people on the streets to force them into military service. Abductions—where youths are snatched off the streets and sold to the military for cash—have become rampant, forcing local young people to avoid going out at night.

In August, a Yangon fire department official and his son-in-law were arrested for allegedly kidnapping four youths to sell them into conscription. Investigations revealed that the suspects lured the victims with promises of jobs before locking them up. As young people flee in droves to neighboring countries like Thailand to escape forced conscription, severe labor shortages are rippling across Myanmar.

U.S. Holds Secret Talks for 'Rare Earth' Access

Despite the harrowing human rights situation, the Trump administration is reportedly moving to ease economic sanctions targeting the Myanmar military.

According to Reuters, a U.S. delegation led by Michael Vance, Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research (INR), held secret talks with Myanmar military officials in Tokyo last week. The identities of the Myanmar attendees have not been confirmed. U.S. officials reportedly focused heavily on securing access to Myanmar's vast deposits of heavy rare earths—vital minerals used in everything from electric vehicles to wind turbines.

The Lowy Institute, an Australian think tank, noted, "Myanmar’s critical minerals and rare earths are likely the U.S.’s primary strategic asset of interest in the country," adding that "the Trump administration views Myanmar through a strictly transactional lens."

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