Myanmar Military Bombs Rakhine Market, Killing at Least 33
Myanmar Military Bombs Rakhine Market, Killing at Least 33
YANGON: At least 33 people were killed and 36 injured in the Myanmar market bombing in the town of Kyauktaw in Rakhine state on Monday, in one of the deadliest airstrikes of the country’s civil war.
The Arakan Army, the rebel group that controls the area, said a fighter jet dropped two bombs near the market around noon local time. The death toll may rise further, the group warned.
What happened in Kyauktaw
Kyauktaw is a riverside town in northern Rakhine state, in western Myanmar near the border with Bangladesh. The market there is the region’s main wholesale centre, drawing traders and shoppers from across the state.
The strike hit around midday, when the market was full of vendors, shoppers and pedestrians. Buildings caught fire, vehicles were damaged and part of a nearby bridge was destroyed.
Wai Hun Aung, a senior rescue official in Rakhine, confirmed the casualty figures to the Associated Press. “This location is quite far from the fighting and has nothing to do with the conflict,” he said. “This is one of the most severe airstrikes in Rakhine.”
Reuters said it could not independently verify the details of the incident. Myanmar’s military did not immediately comment, though it has previously said it exercises “maximum restraint to avoid civilian harm” and strikes only legitimate military targets.
Myanmar market bombing and a war with no end
The bombing is the latest in a series of air raids by Myanmar’s military government against pro-democracy and ethnic armed groups. The country has been in turmoil since the elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi was ousted in a February 2021 coup, and the resistance has hardened into a civil war fought on multiple fronts.
The Arakan Army, which is seeking autonomy for Rakhine’s ethnic minority, launched an offensive in November 2023 and has since captured a strategically important military headquarters and 14 of the state’s 17 townships. The military has responded by restricting trade routes into Rakhine, worsening food shortages for civilians.
President Min Aung Hlaing, the former military chief, was elected by a military-backed parliament in April, formalising his grip on power after five years of army rule. Air power has become the junta’s main tool as it loses ground to insurgent alliances.
Why Pakistanis should care
Rakhine is the state from which hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims fled to Bangladesh in 2017, and the renewed fighting has raised fears of fresh displacement. Pakistan, which has long spoken up for the Rohingya, follows events in Rakhine closely.
The strike also adds to a grim pattern. Aid agencies say civilians are bearing the heaviest cost of Myanmar’s war, and Monday’s bombing is likely to draw fresh condemnation from rights groups and regional governments.
Where did the bombing take place?
Near a market in Kyauktaw, a riverside town in northern Rakhine state in western Myanmar, an area controlled by the Arakan Army rebel group.
How many people were killed?
At least 33 people were killed and 36 injured, according to the Arakan Army and a local rescue official. The toll could rise.
Has the Myanmar military responded?
The military did not immediately comment on the strike. It has previously said it strikes only legitimate military targets and exercises restraint to avoid civilian harm.
Why is Rakhine at war?
Myanmar has been in civil war since the 2021 military coup. The Arakan Army launched an offensive in November 2023 seeking autonomy for Rakhine’s ethnic minority and has captured most of the state’s townships.
