Myanmar military airstrike hits market in Rakhine, several killed and injured

Bangkok: An airstrike by Myanmar’s military near a market in territory controlled by the Arakan Army in western Rakhine state killed at least 49 people and injured 58 others on Monday, according to the rebel group and a rescue official.

The attack took place in Kyauktaw township, around 340 kilometres west of Mandalay, and struck a market that serves as a major wholesale centre for the region. The Arakan Army said a fighter jet dropped two bombs near the market around noon, killing vendors, shoppers and pedestrians.

Of the 58 people injured, 22 were in critical condition, the group said. Wai Hun Aung, a senior rescue official in Rakhine, confirmed the casualties to The Associated Press, citing rescue workers at the scene.

“This is one of the most severe airstrikes in Rakhine,” he said.

Photos and videos shared on social media showed buildings on fire, damaged vehicles and sections of a nearby bridge destroyed. The details could not be independently verified.

The military did not immediately comment on the attack. Myanmar’s military has previously said its airstrikes target legitimate military positions and accused resistance groups of terrorism.

The Arakan Army, the armed wing of a movement seeking greater autonomy for Rakhine’s ethnic minority, controls Kyauktaw. It launched an offensive against the military in Rakhine in November 2023 and has since seized 14 of the state’s 17 townships, as well as a strategically important regional military headquarters.

The latest attack comes amid continued fighting across Myanmar, which has been in conflict since the military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1, 2021. The coup and the military’s violent crackdown on protests led many opponents to take up arms, escalating fighting between the military, pro-democracy forces and ethnic armed groups.

Fighting in Rakhine has also disrupted trade routes and worsened food shortages. In December, a military airstrike on a hospital in Mrauk-U township killed at least 34 people and injured 80 others.

(AP)