Junta airstrike kills 50 civilians in Kyauktaw

The Irrawaddy

The death toll from Monday’s airstrikes in Kyauktaw, Rakhine State, has climbed to 50, with nearly 60 others injured, in what ethnic forces describe as the regime’s deadliest attack on civilians to date. Fighter jets bombed the Kissapanadi Bridge and a crowded marketplace in broad daylight, striking at the heart of a town controlled by the Arakan Army (AA) since early 2024.

Witnesses said pedestrians, shoppers and market workers were among the victims. Prominent Rakhine writer Wai Hun Aung reported that some bodies could not be recovered because they were incinerated in the blast. The AA accused the military of deliberately targeting civilians and vowed retaliation, saying it had documented commanders and units involved in what it called a “war-crime-level” assault.

The massacre has drawn condemnation from ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights, who expressed solidarity with Myanmar’s people and urged justice. It comes amid a wider campaign of airstrikes across Rakhine, with attacks reported in Minbya, Ngapali Beach and other townships over the past two weeks. These raids have killed dozens, injured scores and destroyed homes, hospitals and infrastructure.

Kyauktaw’s strategic position along the Kaladan River makes it a key battleground. The AA has seized 14 of Rakhine’s 17 townships since launching a major offensive in late 2023, and is pressing towards Sittwe and Kyaukphyu, where Chinese-backed projects are based. The junta, now under General Ye Win Oo, has struggled to regain territory despite launching Operation 4926 earlier this month.

Past strikes have already shocked the region, including the bombing of Mrauk-U Hospital last December that killed at least 33 people, and an attack on an AA-run prison in Ann Township that left 116 prisoners dead. Yet even against this backdrop, the Kyauktaw raid stands out as the most lethal aerial assault on civilians in Rakhine’s history.

As funerals are held for the victims, the attack underscores the escalating brutality of Myanmar’s conflict. With the regime resorting to air power and the AA expanding its reach, the civilian population remains caught in the crossfire of a war that shows no sign of abating.

-2026-09-29