Myanmar military jets carried out an airstrike on rebel villages near the Thai border.

Several fighter planes flew over the community allegedly held by anti-junta militants in Myanmar's Karen state near Tak province on May 18. Plumes of smoke were seen rising from the countryside villages after the aircraft passed by.

Witnesses estimated that around 20 airstrikes were launched at the rebels. No injuries or casualties have been reported so far.

The clashes come as resistance groups in Myanmar urged Western leaders to send military aid to help them battle the Burmese military, which has superior firepower.

The struggle between armed militias and the Burmese military has intensified amid the political turmoil in Myanmar caused by the ousting of former leader Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. Around the country, thousands of civilians are said to have been killed during military crackdowns on protests in the country, which is a former trading outpost of the British Empire.