BANGKOK — An airstrike by Myanmar’s military near a market in Arakan Army-controlled territory in western Rakhine state killed at least 49 people and wounded 58 on Monday, the ethnic armed group and a rescue official told the Associated Press.
The Arakan Army said a fighter jet dropped two bombs around noon in Kyauktaw township, about 340 kilometers (210 miles) west of Mandalay, killing vendors, shoppers and pedestrians; 22 of the wounded were listed as critical. Senior rescue official Wai Hun Aung confirmed the toll to AP, calling it one of the most severe airstrikes in Rakhine and noting the market was the region’s main wholesale hub. Details could not be independently verified; the military did not immediately comment and has previously said it hits only legitimate military targets.
Conflict has widened since the February 2021 coup. The Arakan Army has seized 14 of Rakhine’s 17 townships since a November 2023 offensive. Trade-route restrictions have worsened food shortages; a December hospital strike in Mrauk-U killed at least 34. The group vowed “effective retaliatory measures” against those responsible.
Sources: Associated Press, The New York Times
—
