Myanmar Military Airstrike on Rakhine Market Kills at Least 33 People

A Myanmar military airstrike struck a crowded marketplace in western Rakhine State on Monday, killing at least 33 people and wounding dozens more, according to local rescue workers and opposition officials.

The strike occurred around midday in Kyauktaw township, situated approximately 340 kilometres west of Mandalay. The Arakan Army, an ethnic armed group that holds territory across the area, said in a statement that a military jet dropped two bombs near a central wholesale market and an adjacent bridge. Shoppers, vendors, and passersby were among the casualties, with at least 36 others wounded and multiple victims in critical condition.

Nepali portal Onlinekhabar, citing reports from AFP and the National News Agency (RSS), noted that witnesses saw more than 30 bodies strewn across blast craters and debris as thick smoke engulfed the area. Al Jazeera English reported that young women were among those slain and that blast survivors suffered hearing impairment. Photos circulating on social media showed burning buildings, wrecked vehicles, and structural damage to the nearby bridge.

Wai Hun Aung, a senior rescue coordinator in Rakhine, confirmed the casualty figures to The Associated Press, describing the strike as among the deadliest air attacks recorded in the state. The Hindu and Al Jazeera English put the count at 33 dead and 36 wounded, and rescuers warned the toll could rise.

Myanmar's ruling military council did not issue an immediate statement regarding Monday's incident, though it has routinely maintained in past briefings that its air operations target only armed combatants and classified resistance fighters as terrorists.

The Arakan Army has waged an extensive campaign for autonomy in Rakhine since late 2023, seizing control of 14 of the state's 17 townships alongside crucial army headquarters. In response, the junta has imposed strict blockades on commercial transit routes into Rakhine, worsening severe food and medicine shortages across western Myanmar.

Myanmar has remained embroiled in an escalating civil war since February 2021, when the military unseated the elected administration of Aung San Suu Kyi. In April, military authorities formalised Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing's standing by electing him president through a military-dominated parliament. According to the United Nations, internal displacement in Rakhine has approached half a million people, while human rights monitors note the nationwide conflict has claimed more than 100,000 lives.