(At least 37 civilians injured)
Border news Agency
Kyauktaw, May 16
From May 13 to 15, airstrikes carried out by the Myanmar junta targeted townships under the control of the Arakan Army, resulting in the deaths of 20 civilians and injuries to 37 others.
The junta deliberately launched airstrikes on Rathedaung and Kyauktaw townships, causing civilian casualties and injuries.
In Rathedaung Township, junta’s airstrike hit the Tun Ra Wai (old) village at around 10 a.m. on May 13, killing 12 civilians and injuring 23 others.
Kyauktaw Township was also targeted by airstrikes. On May 14, three civilians were killed and five were injured. Another bombing on May 15 resulted in the deaths of five more civilians and injuries to nine others.
Over the course of three days, airstrikes by the Myanmar junta killed 11 women and 4 men, while 24 women and 13 men were injured.
Among the casualties, three children were killed and nine others injured. Additionally, elderly individuals were also affected, with nine killed or injured.
Although the junta has declared a temporary ceasefire until the end of May, it continues to carry out aerial bombings and attacks in the Arakan region.
In the final stages of the war in Arakan, airstrikes by the junta have resulted in over a hundred civilian casualties. Homes, schools, religious buildings, hospitals, clinics, cultural heritage sites, and ancient pagodas have also been damaged or destroyed.
Residents of Arakan say that the junta is deliberately targeting towns that have been fully captured and controlled by the Arakan Army (AA), launching airstrikes to destroy them intentionally.
The Arakan Army (AA) has stated that the Myanmar junta continues to carry out artillery shelling, airstrikes, and naval attacks targeting civilian homes, hospitals, schools, pagodas, monasteries, religious buildings, as well as former government office buildings used during previous administrations.
On May 15, the Arakan Army (AA) announced that it would report the Myanmar junta’s war crimes—such as the mass killings of civilians in the Arakan region and acts of crimes against humanity to relevant international organizations.
