Dozens killed by Myanmar junta airstrikes in Rakhine State

Subscribe to the Myanmar Now daily newsletter. It's free. Sign up > Airstrikes carried out by Myanmar’s military have killed at least 70 people in Rakhine State over the past two days, according to the Arakan Army (AA). In a statement released on Tuesday, the group said that two fighter jets attacked a border security post in Maungdaw Township on Monday, killing dozens of people detained there since it was captured by the AA in July. “Over 50 prisoners of war were killed by the airstrikes, which began at around 9pm on September 9,” the statement said, adding that several others were critically injured. Most of the deceased were identified as Myanmar military personnel captured in battle, members of ethnic Rohingya militias, suspected junta informants, and members of a rival Rakhine nationalist group, the Arakan Liberation Party. The deadly assault came just one day after another attack killed 17 people in Pauktaw, a town about 65 miles southeast of Maungdaw near the state capital Sittwe. Many of the victims in that incident were also prisoners being treated at a clinic set up inside an AA camp, according to the group’s statement. “They bombed the camp twice, leaving 17 people dead and another 10 injured, some critically,” the statement said, adding that AA officials in charge of the camp, medical staff, and civilians living in the vicinity were also among those killed. A local resident told Myanmar Now that the sound of explosions from the airstrikes sent his entire village fleeing for safety. “I heard the first few explosions at around 7pm. Then there were four, five, or six more. I was absolutely terrified,” he said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The airstrikes on Maungdaw and Pauktaw came just days after the AA captured a major naval base in southern Rakhine State’s Thandwe Township on September 5, forcing hundreds of junta troops to flee to neighbouring Ayeyarwady Region. Meanwhile, the AA continues to fight for control of Maungdaw, which borders Bangladesh to the north, and has launched attacks in Taungup and Gwa townships, which are north and south of Thandwe, respectively. The AA says its aim is to force Myanmar’s military out of Rakhine State entirely. Since November of last year, it has taken control of 10 townships in the state—Thandwe, Myebon, Minbya, Mrauk-U, Kyauktaw, Pauktaw, Ponnagyun, Rathedaung, Buthidaung, Ramree—as well as Paletwa Township in southern Chin State. But while the regime has struggled to hold onto territory, it continues to have the ability to carry out retaliatory airstrikes, often resulting in heavy civilian casualties. Since declaring the AA and its Brotherhood Alliance partners “terrorist organisations” last week, the junta has stepped up its airstrikes on areas under resistance control. In the first nine days of this month, the regime has carried out aerial assaults in Rakhine, Shan, and Karenni states, and Sagaing and Mandalay regions, killing dozens of civilians including children. In Rakhine State, the targets have included hospitals, clinics, markets, government buildings, religious sites, and other crowded areas.

Dozens killed by Myanmar junta airstrikes in Rakhine State

Most of the victims were captured regime soldiers and others detained by the Arakan Army, the group said in a statement released on Tuesday

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