Myanmar airstrike kills 33 near Kyauktaw market in Arakan Army-held Rakhine
At least 33 people were killed and 36 others were injured after Myanmar's military carried out an airstrike near a market in territory controlled by the Arakan Army in western Rakhine state on Monday, the rebel group and a rescue official said.
The strike was the latest in a series of deadly air attacks on pro-democracy resistance forces and ethnic armed groups in Myanmar, which has been in turmoil since the military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1, 2021. After security forces crushed peaceful protests with lethal force, many opponents of military rule took up arms, leading to conflict across large parts of the country.
According to the Arakan Army, the attack took place in Kyauktaw township, about 340 kilometres west of Mandalay, the country's second-largest city. The group, which controls Kyauktaw, said a fighter jet dropped two bombs near a local market around noon, killing 33 people, including vendors, shoppers and pedestrians. It said 36 other people were injured and warned that the death toll could rise.
Wai Hun Aung, a senior rescue official in Rakhine, confirmed the casualties to The Associated Press, citing rescue workers at the scene. He said the market was the region's main wholesale centre and drew traders and shoppers from across the state. "This is one of the most severe airstrikes in Rakhine," he said. Photos and videos posted on social media showed buildings on fire, damaged vehicles and parts of a nearby bridge destroyed.
The military did not immediately comment on the attack. It has previously said it strikes only legitimate military targets and has accused resistance groups of terrorism. The Arakan Army is the military wing of a movement seeking autonomy for Rakhine's ethnic minority from Myanmar's central government. It launched an offensive in Rakhine in November 2023 and has since captured a strategically important regional military headquarters and 14 of the state's 17 townships. The military has also imposed severe restrictions on trade routes since fighting intensified in Rakhine, worsening food shortages. In December, a military airstrike on a hospital in Rakhine's Mrauk-U township killed at least 34 people and wounded 80 others.
Monday's strike near the market in Kyauktaw added to the growing toll of air attacks in Rakhine, with the Arakan Army and rescue workers reporting heavy casualties and warning that the number of deaths could rise further.
