Junta airstrikes hit Rakhine State’s Kyauktaw Town, killing at least 10

Junta fighter jets bombed crowded areas in Kyauktaw Town, Rakhine State, on January 11, killing at least 10 people and injuring several others, according to local sources. According to a statement by the Arakan Army (AA), a powerful ethnic armed group based in Rakhine State, fighter jets initiated the attack at about 9am, targeting a residential ward and a market, in three separate attacks. Sources estimate the warplanes dropped a total of 15 bombs.Khine Thu Kha, an information officer with the AA, told Myanmar Now that details have yet to be released, only that at least 10 have been killed in the airstrike. Although the area remains cut off by a telecommunications shutdown and lack of internet access, information has gradually emerged. A female resident of Kyauktaw said that at least five people were killed and several others injured in the bombing, adding that residents are too afraid to leave their homes. "I don’t know the exact number of casualties, but I heard five people died,” she said.“The bombing was relentless, with three to four bombs dropped per strike, followed by more strikes. I heard there were two planes. But now the town is silent.” The junta, struggling with defeats across Rakhine State, has continued its campaign of terror from the sky, repeatedly bombing towns and villages under the control of the AA. On January 8, junta airstrikes targeted Kyauk Ni Maw Village in Ramree Township, killing at least 40 residents and injuring more than 20 people. After the airstrikes, fires broke out, killing many elderly people and children. According to AA data, 26 bodies have been identified, 12 individuals sustained moderate to severe injuries, and more than 15 others suffered minor injuries. The AA warned that the death toll could rise, as several people still remain missing.

Junta airstrikes hit Rakhine State’s Kyauktaw Town, killing at least 10

“The bombing was relentless, with three to four bombs dropped per strike”

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