Airstrike in Myanmar kills 49 near rebel-controlled market
Bangkok — An airstrike carried out by Myanmar’s military near a market in territory controlled by a powerful rebel group killed at least 49 people and wounded 58 others Monday, the group and a rescue official said, reports BritPanorama.
The attack in western Rakhine state was the latest in a series of deadly airstrikes against pro-democracy resistance forces and ethnic armed groups across the country.
Myanmar has been mired in conflict since the military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1, 2021, triggering widespread opposition. After security forces suppressed peaceful protests with lethal force, many opponents of military rule took up arms, plunging large parts of the country into turmoil.
Monday’s attack occurred in Kyauktaw township, approximately 210 miles west of Mandalay, the country’s second-largest city, according to the Arakan Army, a powerful ethnic armed group based in Rakhine that controls Kyauktaw.
Independent verification of the details surrounding the attack remains challenging.
The Arakan Army stated in a message released early Tuesday that a fighter jet dropped two bombs near a local market around noon, resulting in casualties among vendors, shoppers, and pedestrians.
Injuries included 58 people, 22 of whom were critically injured.
The statement emphasized that the group “will take effective retaliatory measures soon against the individuals and organizations directly responsible for the attacks involving deliberate airstrikes that have caused mass casualties.”
Wai Hun Aung, a senior rescue official in Rakhine, confirmed the casualties to The Associated Press, stating that the market served as the region’s primary wholesale center, attracting traders and shoppers from across the state. “This is one of the most severe airstrikes in Rakhine,” he noted.
Photos and videos shared on social media depicted buildings ablaze and significant damage to vehicles and infrastructure.
The military has yet to comment on the incident. It has previously maintained that its airstrikes target only legitimate military sites and often accuses resistance groups of terrorism.
The Arakan Army serves as the military wing of a movement advocating for autonomy for Rakhine’s ethnic minority from Myanmar’s central government. It initiated an offensive in Rakhine in November 2023, capturing a strategically vital military HQ and controlling 14 of the state’s 17 townships.
As fighting has intensified in Rakhine, the military has imposed severe restrictions on trade routes, exacerbating food shortages in the region.
In December, another military airstrike on a hospital in Rakhine’s Mrauk-U township resulted in at least 34 fatalities and 80 injuries.
