Myanmar airstrike on Rakhine market kills at least 33
Photo: REUTERS
A Myanmar military fighter jet dropped two bombs near a bustling local wholesale market in Kyauktaw, a town in northern Rakhine state on Monday and killed at least 33 people - including vendors, shoppers, and pedestrians - and injured another 36 people.
Representatives from the Arakan Army confirmed the attack and warned that the final death toll “may continue to increase”. Senior Rakhine rescue official Wai Hun Aung verified the assault details to the Associated Press, emphasizing that the targeted location served as the state’s main commercial hub drawing traders and buyers from across the region.
Commenting on the tragedy, Wai Hun Aung said, “This is one of the most severe airstrikes in Rakhine,” while photos and social media video clips revealed flaming buildings, wrecked vehicles, and a demolished nearby bridge.
Although Myanmar’s military issued no immediate statement regarding Monday’s strike, junta officials previously claimed that armed forces target strictly legitimate military positions while labeling resistance factions with accusations of “terrorism”.
The latest raid escalates a continuing campaign of air attacks targeting ethnic forces and pro-democracy fighters following the 2021 military coup. That overthrow ousted the democratically elected government under Aung San Suu Kyi, sparking widespread armed opposition that rapidly transformed into a full-scale civil war between the regime and allied resistance groups.
In April, a military-backed Parliament elected former military government chief Min Aung Hlaing as President, formalizing his control after five years of direct army rule.
The Arakan Army, a well-trained and heavily armed ethnic minority force seeking autonomy in Rakhine, launched a major offensive in November 2023 that successfully captured vital military headquarters alongside 14 of the state’s 17 townships.
The military enforced harsh trade route blockades into Rakhine, severely intensifying widespread food shortages across the region. Horrific civilian casualties have repeatedly marked the campaign, including a December military airstrike on a hospital in Mrauk U township that killed at least 33 people and wounded 70 others.
According to United Nations statistics, ongoing hostilities have forcibly displaced nearly 500,000 residents across Rakhine. In August, UN officials warned that human rights conditions in Myanmar had spiraled “to a new low”, citing “brutal abuse” inflicted upon the Rohingya minority alongside destructive illicit activities like illegal rare earth mining.
Both junta troops and rebel forces now routinely deploy combat drones throughout the protracted conflict, which the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED) project estimates has already claimed over 1,00,000 lives.
Source: Al Jazeera (adapted)
