Myanmar junta airstrike kills 14 in Rakhine State’s Thandwe Township

Houses destroyed by recent junta airstrikes in Thandwe Township (Photo: AA Info Desk) A Myanmar military airstrike killed 14 people and injured 11 others in Rakhine State’s Thandwe Township on Monday, according to the Arakan Army (AA), as fighting continues in areas controlled by the ethnic armed group. The strike occurred around 1pm near a Buddhist monastery in Kyauk Gyi, a village about 20 miles south of the town of Thandwe, the AA said. The dead included 11 females and three males ranging in age from nine to 88, the group said. Three females and eight males were injured, while 21 houses were damaged. A Thandwe resident who fled the area said the village was bombed about three times. “Airstrikes are launched around Thandwe almost every day, so people are worried,” the resident said, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons. “People don’t dare to live there anymore. People are terrified.” The attack was the second reported military airstrike in Thandwe Township this month. An airstrike last week on Ngapali, a popular beach resort in the township, injured two residents and damaged about 20 buildings, according to the AA. The military has also carried out airstrikes in other areas under AA control. An August 8 attack on Ta Laing Taung, a village in Ann Township, killed two people and injured two others. On Tuesday, another airstrike injured two children in Paletwa, a town in southern Chin State that is also controlled by the AA. AA officials said the military has increased its use of airstrikes as it suffers heavy casualties in ground fighting. The AA has seized control of much of Rakhine State during its offensive against Myanmar’s military. The group says it has captured at least three military camps in Yegyi Township in neighbouring Ayeyarwady Region, where fighting has intensified as the military attempts to advance toward Rakhine State. According to figures compiled by Myanmar Now, junta airstrikes killed 21 civilians and injured 76 in July. The AA has said 83 civilians were killed and 187 injured by military attacks on areas under its control between January and June. The AA controls 14 of Rakhine State’s 17 townships, as well as Paletwa in southern Chin State. Fighting is continuing in Sittwe and Kyaukphyu, which are both still controlled by the regime, while Manaung is the only Rakhine township among the three not experiencing active clashes, according to the AA.