Border News Agency
Kyauktaw, November 3.
The military junta carried out an airstrike on the U Swan Taung mountain range, located west of Apauk Wa Village in Kyauktaw Township, an area under the control of the Arakkha Army (AA), at around 2 a.m. on November 3.
The military’s fighter jets reportedly launched the attack while local residents were asleep. Bombs landed and exploded near U Sein Taung Monastery, close to the mountain range, injuring the monastery’s abbot, according to local residents in Kyauktaw.
The monastery was also damaged in the attack, local residents said.
“The bombs were dropped into a valley between the U Swan Taung mountain ranges. They landed near a monastery close to the mountain range. The abbot was injured, and the monastery was also damaged,” a Kyauktaw resident told Border News Agency.
The Arakkha Army announced on November 2 that the military had carried out airstrikes on the area surrounding Kan Zauk Mountain in Kyauktaw Township between 11:30 p.m. on November 1 and 12:40 a.m. on November 2.
According to the AA statement, the military launched repeated attacks throughout the night using four fighter jets and a Y-12 aircraft, dropping a total of 30 bombs. The attacks reportedly targeted Light Infantry Battalion No. 539, located at the foot of Kan Soke Mountain along the Sittwe-Yangon highway, and Artillery Battalion No. 377, located near Kan Zauk Village in Kyauktaw Township. The four fighter jets reportedly carried out 13 airstrikes in total.
In addition, the military carried out an airstrike on a bridge connecting Wa Taung Village and Pan Pe Chaung Village in Kyauktaw Township at around 5:25 p.m. on November 1, killing seven people and injuring another seven, according to the Arakkha Army.
The AA also reported that the bridge was damaged, along with motorcycles, motorcycles with sidecars travelling across the bridge, and several houses near the bridge.
The two military battalions had been under siege by the Arakkha Army. In January 2024, the entire force of one battalion surrendered after raising a white flag. The locations have since been occupied and controlled by the Arakkha Army.
The military junta has been intensifying its airstrikes on territories controlled by the Arakkha Army, including Kyauktaw Township, while launching an offensive to retake Ponnagyun Township.
Military observers believe that the junta is heavily targeting the Arakkha Army’s rear military bases, fortified positions, and suspected logistical supply sites.
“We have observed that the military is mainly targeting areas along the banks of the Kaladan River and the Sittwe-Yangon highway. We believe the military is launching intense attacks on Kyauktaw because it considers the township a major rear defensive and logistical support area for the Arakkha Army in the Ponnagyun battle. We have also noticed that former military battalion locations along the Kaladan River are being targeted,” a military observer told Border News Agency.
In October, the military also launched heavy airstrikes on former military battalion positions along the eastern bank of the Kaladan River in Kyauktaw Township, including the former headquarters of Military Operations Command No. 9.
Military and political observers say the intensifying airstrikes indicate that the junta is pursuing a comprehensive military campaign against the Arakkha Army, employing an annihilation strategy while attempting to encircle and launch offensives from multiple directions. They warned that fighting could become even more intense.
As the military continues to carry out daily airstrikes on territories controlled by the Arakkha Army, including Kyauktaw Township, civilians are increasingly being killed and injured.
