Regime escalates kamikaze drone attacks on civilians in Kyaukphyu

By Admin 18 Mar 2026

DMG Newsroom

18 March 2026, Kyaukphyu

Myanmar’s military regime has intensified the use of kamikaze drones targeting civilian villages and internally displaced persons (IDP) camps in Kyaukphyu Township, Arakan State, where fighting remains intense, residents said.

In January, a kamikaze drone strike on Kyaukkalay and Ngaoak villages, where displaced persons were sheltering, killed three people, including IDPs and local residents, and injured two others.

Oo Seik Phyu Aung, a 78-year-old resident of Kyaukkalay Village who survived a drone strike, said the military is deliberately targeting civilians.

“They even bomb schools. We have been attacked four times by drones coming from the sea. Only IDPs and villagers live where we stay. Sometimes they strike with aircraft first, followed by kamikaze drones,” he said.

Since March 2025, the military has consistently deployed bomber drones and kamikaze drones in Kyaukphyu Township. Targeted villages are reportedly located between four and more than 10 miles from active conflict zones.

According to DMG records, since March 2025, at least 30 people have been killed or injured in drone attacks across at least nine villages in Kyaukphyu Township, including Kyaukkalay, Zinchaung and Mawgyi.

Survivors said the attacks appear to specifically target displaced persons, children and the elderly.

“A reconnaissance drone arrived while we were preparing to flee. While I was warning and moving villagers, we were hit by a kamikaze drone at around 4:00 pm,” said U Kyaw Thein Myint from Mawgyi Village.

He said he was preparing to flee with his family in February when the drone struck. While he survived, both of his parents-in-law and several relatives were injured.

The military regime is reportedly launching the drones from the Danyawaddy Naval Base, as well as from naval vessels stationed in the Bay of Bengal and the Thanzit River.

Although the drones are equipped with advanced cameras and sensor systems capable of distinguishing between civilian and military targets from hundreds of metres away, residents say they continue to face targeted attacks.

Fighting in Kyaukphyu Township began on February 20, 2025, in Simaw Village, more than five miles from the town, and has now lasted for over a year.