After opponents accused the junta of targeting people and committing war crimes, Myanmar's military defended airstrikes against a concert staged by an ethnic minority militia as a justifiable response to attacks in the area.

At least 50 civilians, including singers and commanders of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), were killed by airstrikes late Sunday in the northern state of Kachin, according to media reports citing witnesses who said three planes carried out the attack.

The military stated that its personnel was reacting to ambushes and other attacks from the KIA and other armed groups per international engagement norms.

In a statement posted on a military website, the military stated, "As security troops, they are accountable for combatting militants, which is crucial for regional peace and stability."

What does KIA mean?

The KIA has fought intermittently for more autonomy for the Kachin people for the past six decades. In the wake of a coup last year in which the generals ousted an elected civilian administration led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, it has proclaimed sympathy for opposition to military rule.

The shadow National Unity Government (NUG), composed primarily of Suu Kyi supporters, accused the army of targeting civilians and urged the United Nations and international community to act to stop "atrocities and war crimes committed by the junta."

"We need quick concrete action and support from the international world to hold the junta accountable," said Dr. Sasa, a spokesman for the NUG, which was formed by junta opponents following the coup.

The airstrike occurred in the A Nang Pa region of Hpakant township and resulted in the deaths of at least 50 people, according to the BBC's Burmese-language service, while the Kachin News Group reported 80 deaths and 100 injuries.

The military termed the reports "rumors." It did not provide its estimate of the number of casualties but stated that only KIA members and "terrorists" had been killed.

The statistics could not be independently verified by Reuters.

The KIA stated that the bombing targeted its political wing's 62nd-anniversary festivities and that the attack should be deemed a war crime.

Myanmar's political turmoil

Since the military ousted Suu Kyi's government, Myanmar has been caught in a spiral of violence. Across the nation, armed opposition movements have developed, to which the military has responded with brutal force.

Southeast Asian nations are leading efforts to bring peace to Myanmar, but the junta's response to the peace "consensus" reached with ASEAN last year has been minimal.

On Thursday, ASEAN foreign ministers will meet to examine the problem. In an open letter, 457 Myanmar civil society organizations urged ASEAN leaders to abandon their five-point "agreement" and instead collaborate with civilian leaders and the NUG.