Regime escalates airstrikes on Arakan Army-held territories

By Admin 29 May 2026

DMG Newsroom

29 May 2026, Ramree

The regime has been consecutively carrying out airstrikes and drone attacks on territories controlled by the Arakan Army (AA) in Arakan State, with civilian casualties also increasing, according to local residents.

On the morning of May 28, the regime launched an airstrike on a road repair site at the border of Ramree and Kyaukphyu townships, killing three people, including a backhoe driver, and injuring seven others, local residents said.

“That site was being repaired because the road was inconvenient. The regime dropped bombs at the very time they were working on the road,” a Ramree resident said.

Local residents also said the regime deployed two jet fighters and two Y-12 aircraft during the attack, dropping more than 30 bombs. Some of the injured are reportedly in life-threatening conditions and receiving treatment.

On the afternoon of May 28, four military aircraft were also used to bomb mountain ranges near Kyeinkhwaymaw Village in Pauktaw Township, on the opposite bank of Sittwe, according to residents.

The junta’s Taung Maw Oo naval station has also been conducting drone attacks in Sanae Town, Kyaukphyu Township, including dropping six bombs on Shwe Hinthar Ward on May 28, locals said.

Drone strikes on Sanae Town on May 27 reportedly destroyed eight homes by fire, while a 78-year-old man, U Maung Shwe Sein, was killed in an attack on May 26.

Residents also said at least 10 houses were destroyed due to heavy weapon fire from Myanmar Navy warships. A squadron-sized airstrike on Shwe Hinthar Ward in Sanae Town on May 19 also burned and destroyed more than 100 houses.

Fighting between regime forces and the Arakan Army remains intense in Kyaukphyu Township, with civilian areas increasingly affected by air, drone, and naval attacks, according to local residents.

Due to the fighting, residents of Sanae Town and surrounding villages have been fleeing to safer areas.

Military and political analysts said the regime’s intensified airstrikes may be aimed at pressuring civilians and forcing negotiations with the Arakan Army.

“The regime wants a scenario where the Arakan Army has to negotiate because it can no longer withstand the pressure of the junta airstrikes, just like in northern Shan State. However, since the regional situation is different, I see that such pressure will only increase the number of war crime incidents committed by the regime,” a military observer in Arakan State said.

Within Arakan State, the regime currently controls only Sittwe, Kyaukphyu, and Manaung townships, while fighting continues in Sittwe and Kyaukphyu.

The regime is facing military setbacks on the Kyaukphyu front. To counter the Arakan Army offensive, it has deployed gyrocopters and motorized parachutes known as paramotors to Kyaukphyu and Manaung, conducting training flights since May 25.