Myanmar military carried out at least 222 airstrikes in Arakan over five months: ISP-Myanmar

By Admin 29 Sep 2026

DMG Newsroom

29 September 2026, Kyauktaw

The Myanmar military carried out at least 222 airstrikes in Arakan State over a five-month period, making it one of the areas most heavily subjected to aerial attacks nationwide, according to the Institute for Strategy and Policy-Myanmar (ISP-Myanmar).

ISP-Myanmar recorded at least 1,583 military airstrikes across Myanmar between March 31 and August 31, during the first five months of Gen. Ye Win Oo’s tenure as commander-in-chief of the Myanmar Armed Forces.

Magway Region recorded the highest number, with at least 322 airstrikes, followed by Chin State with at least 301, Sagaing Region with at least 242 and Arakan State with at least 222. Airstrikes were recorded across 13 states and regions, excluding Yangon Region and the Union Territory of Naypyitaw.

The ISP-Myanmar figures cover only the period through August 31 and therefore do not include a series of deadly airstrikes across Arakan during September.

One of the deadliest occurred in Kyauktaw on September 28, when a military jet bombed the busy India Market and the area near the Kissapanadi Bridge around midday.

According to a subsequent statement from the United League of Arakan (ULA), 49 civilians were killed and 58 others injured in the Kyauktaw attack, with women and children among the casualties.

The updated toll was significantly higher than the Arakan Army’s (AA) initial report of at least 33 civilians killed and 36 injured.

The ULA accused the military of deliberately bombing a civilian-populated area where there was no fighting at the time. It also accused the military of continuing to carry out airstrikes on civilian-populated areas elsewhere in Arakan.

The Kyauktaw bombing followed weeks of repeated airstrikes and artillery attacks across the state. Between September 17 and 27, six civilians were killed and 16 others injured in separate attacks affecting Ann, Minbya, Gwa, Kyauktaw, Ponnagyun, Pauktaw, Rathedaung, Thandwe and Mrauk-U townships, according to an earlier AA statement reported by DMG. Dozens of homes as well as religious and educational buildings were also damaged.

Recent monitoring has also documented a high concentration of aerial attacks in Arakan. Nyan Lynn Thit Analytica (NLTA) recorded Arakan as having the highest number of civilian-targeted military airstrike incidents nationwide between September 18 and 24. Of 36 such incidents documented across 24 townships in 12 states and regions, 12 occurred in Arakan, one-third of the nationwide total.

The September attacks add to an already heavy civilian toll from aerial bombardment. According to records compiled by DMG, 602 civilians were killed and 1,211 injured in military airstrikes across Arakan between April 2024 and September 12, 2026.

The figures are based on incidents DMG was able to document and are not exhaustive. They also do not include casualties from attacks after September 12, including the September 28 Kyauktaw bombing.

ISP-Myanmar said military airstrikes during the five-month period were heavily concentrated in Magway, Chin, Sagaing and Arakan, with civilians in resistance-controlled territories in those areas facing particularly high risks.

The research group said airstrikes have also hit schools, religious buildings, hospitals and camps for internally displaced people. Its monitoring indicated that airstrikes were unlikely to decrease, raising the risk of further civilian casualties, displacement and worsening humanitarian conditions.

In its September 28 statement, the ULA called on the international community and relevant organisations to take effective action to prevent further civilian casualties and urged people across Arakan to remain vigilant against possible air attacks.

DMG could not independently verify all of the casualty figures and allegations contained in the ULA statement.