At least 49 dead after airstrike near market in Myanmar’s Rakhine state
By Nana Karikari, Senior Global Affairs Correspondent At least 49 people were killed and 58 others were wounded Monday when an airstrike carried out by Myanmar’s military hit near a market in territory controlled by a powerful rebel group, according to the group and a rescue official. The attack in western Rakhine state was the […]
At least 49 people lost their lives and 58 suffered injuries when a military airstrike targeted a market in western Myanmar's Rakhine state on Monday, according to both the Arakan Army and a rescue official. The attack occurred near Kyauktaw township, located around 210 miles west of Mandalay, Myanmar's second-largest city. The Arakan Army, which operates in Rakhine and controls Kyauktaw, reported that the attack involved fighter jets dropping two bombs near the market around noon.
The group claimed that 58 people were injured, with 22 of them in critical condition. It vowed to 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, corroborated the deadly toll to The Associated Press, stating that the market was the region's principal wholesale center and served as a hub for traders and shoppers from across the state. He described the incident as one of the most severe airstrikes in Rakhine.
Photos and videos circulated on social media, depicting burning buildings, damaged vehicles, and the destruction of a nearby bridge. The military has yet to comment on the attack, maintaining that they conduct strikes exclusively against confirmed military targets and accusing resistance groups of terrorism.
Myanmar has experienced instability since the military overthrew the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1, 2021, leading to widespread protests met with lethal force. Many opponents of military rule have taken up arms, sparking conflict in various parts of the country. The Arakan Army, an ethnic armed group striving for autonomy for Rakhine's ethnic minority, initiated an offensive in Rakhine in November 2023, capturing a crucial regional military headquarters and 14 of the state's 17 townships.
The military has imposed stringent restrictions on trade routes since the escalation of fighting in Rakhine, exacerbating food shortages. In December, a military airstrike on a hospital in Rakhine's Mrauk-U township resulted in at least 34 deaths and 80 injuries.
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