Border News Agency
Kyauktaw, September 29

At least 61 civilians were killed and 73 injured in deliberate attacks carried out by the Myanmar military using airstrikes and artillery in the Arakha region between September 1 and 28, according to figures compiled by the Border News Agency.

At around 12 p.m. on September 28, the Myanmar military conducted an airstrike using two 500-pound bombs on the area around India Market and the Gacchapnadi Bridge in Kyauktaw, a town under the control of the Arakan Army (AA).

The attack reportedly killed 49 civilians, including vendors and people traveling through the area, in a mass-casualty incident. At least 58 people were seriously injured.

In addition, the Myanmar military carried out targeted attacks using aircraft, drones, and artillery against the AA-controlled towns of Kyauktaw, Thandwe, Kyindali, Ponnagyun, Rathedaung, Gwa, Werathani, and Anjanapura.

Airstrikes by the Myanmar military in Anjanapura, Thandwe, Gwa, and Kyindali townships killed two people and injured 14 civilians, including two children.

The Myanmar military also conducted airstrikes on Ponnagyun Township on September 11, 13, 17, and 20, killing seven people and injuring five others.

In addition, a Myanmar military airstrike on Ywar Thit Kay Village in Toungup Township on the evening of September 11 killed one person and injured another.

In Moe Seik Kham, Rathedaung Township, a Myanmar military airstrike on September 20 killed a mother and her child.

Those killed and injured in the attacks included men, women, children, elderly people, and pregnant women.

The United League of Arakan (ULA) issued a statement strongly condemning what it described as deliberate airstrikes against civilian areas, particularly schools, hospitals, markets, residential neighborhoods, and villages, and said that those responsible would face effective retaliation.

Human rights activists have pointed out that the systematic targeting of civilians and other objects not directly related to military operations constitutes serious violations of international humanitarian law, including the Geneva Conventions, and alleged that the military is committing grave war crimes.

Human rights activists and Arakha residents have also urged the international community to go beyond issuing statements and take prompt and effective practical measures, including sanctions, in response to civilian deaths and injuries resulting from alleged war crimes by the military.