Monk wounded as junta airstrike hits Buddhist monastery in Kyauktaw

By Admin 03 Nov 2026

DMG Newsroom

3 November 2026, Kyauktaw

A Buddhist monk was injured after the military junta launched airstrikes using jet fighters near U Soon Taung and Myarlikan villages in Kyauktaw Township, Arakan State, in the early hours of November 3.

At around 2:00 a.m., junta jet fighters carried out two separate bombing runs targeting the Kansauk and U Soon Taung mountain ranges in Kyauktaw Township.

"A bomb struck the monastery in U Soon Taung Village," a local resident from the area told DMG. "The abbot was sleeping in the ordination hall rather than the main building. He sustained facial injuries from flying bomb shrapnel. Bombs also fell near Myarlikan Village."

The affected ridge connects directly to Mt. Kansauk and lies near Lower U Soon Taung, Upper U Soon Taung, Myarlikan, Oktaungpyin, Kanchaypyin and Nichay villages.

"The airstrike hit the base of the ridge east of U Soon Taung," a female resident of U Soon Taung said. "One monk was struck by bomb shrapnel. Fortunately, his injuries were minor, so there is no critical danger."

During another overnight attack shortly after 1:00 a.m. on November 2, junta forces deployed jet fighters and Y-12 aircraft to drop up to 30 bombs around Mt. Kansauk and former military outposts previously occupied by Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 539 and Artillery Battalion 377.

"The military has been bombing areas near our village daily over recent days," an Apaukwa Village resident told DMG. "Because of this, local residents are living in severe anxiety. At night, people do not even dare sleep inside their own homes."

Earlier, after 5:00 p.m. on November 1, junta airstrikes completely destroyed the Yoe Creek Bridge on the Yangon–Sittwe Road, severing vital regional transportation routes.

The attack on the bridge killed seven civilians and injured 10 others, including travelers and local vendors operating near the bridgehead.

The military junta has continued its aerial bombardments across Kyauktaw Township day and night from November 1 through November 3.

In a statement issued on November 2, the Arakan Army said that, as junta forces were suffering heavy losses and failing to advance on active fronts, the regime had turned to systematically targeting Arakanese civilians.