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Myanmar airstrike kills 33 near Rakhine market (Img: X)
Rakhine: At least 33 people killed and 36 injured in a Myanmar military airstrike near a market in the war-torn Rakhine state on Monday.
The Arakan Army, a rebel group that controls the area, and a local aid worker reported the casualties.
The strike took place in Kyauktaw, a riverside town in northern Rakhine that lies near the Bangladesh border. Local aid worker Wai Hun Aung, whose team operates in the area, also confirmed the reported death toll.
The Arakan Army said the attack was among the deadliest airstrikes in Rakhine in recent months. Wai Hun Aung said the location was away from the main fighting and questioned why it had been targeted.
"This location is quite far from the fighting and has nothing to do with the conflict," said Wai Hun Aung, referring to Kyauktaw.
Myanmar has remained engulfed in conflict since the 2021 military coup triggered a civil war. Several armed groups, including the Arakan Army, have been fighting government forces across multiple fronts.
The latest airstrike has added to concerns over civilian casualties in Rakhine, where the military and the Arakan Army have been engaged in fierce fighting.
A spokesperson for the Myanmar government did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the reported airstrike and casualties.
The government has previously defended the military's conduct during operations, saying the military "exercises maximum restraint to avoid civilian harm".
The Arakan Army and Wai Hun Aung said the Kyauktaw strike was among the deadliest such incidents reported in Rakhine since an aerial attack on a hospital in the western part of the state last December. That attack killed at least 30 people, according to the rebel group and the aid worker.
The latest incident comes as Myanmar's prolonged civil war continues to cause widespread displacement and heavy civilian casualties across several parts of the country.
