Several homes in Minbya reduced to ashes by regime airstrike

By Admin 14 Jan 2024

DMG Newsroom
14 January 2024, Minbya

A junta airstrike caused a fire in Minbya, where fighting between the military and Arakan Army (AA) is intensifying, at about 8 p.m. on January 13 that engulfed at least 11 homes, the Three Brotherhood Alliance said in a statement.

The houses caught fire after multiple bombs dropped by a junta Y12 jet fighter landed and exploded in downtown Minbya on Saturday.

“The junta fires mortar shells into residential areas on a daily basis. The junta jet fighters fire shots at Minbya thrice a day. I saw some homes on fire yesterday,” said a displaced person in Minbya.
Artillery shells fired by a Myanmar Navy vessel fell in downtown wards in Minbya on January 11, engulfing several homes.

The AA has been launching attacks on the military’s Minbya-based Light Infantry Battalion Nos. 379, 380 and 541 since the morning of January 10. The military has responded to the AA’s offensive with joint army, navy and air forces since January 10 to prevent the ethnic armed group from seizing Minbya town.

During the attack by regime forces, there was damage to houses, buildings and shops in Minbya town due to the shootings aimed at civilian residences.

“When I saw Minbya town burning due to the junta’s artillery strikes, I wondered if our homes were still there. We are worried that our homes will be destroyed when we return home,” said a displaced woman from Minbya.

Some homes were reduced to ashes as mortar shells fired by Myanmar Navy vessels landed and exploded in Minbya’s Minbargyi Ward. Regime soldiers also entered Minbya and torched some homes, though the extent of the damage remains difficult to ascertain.Thousands of local people in Minbya fled their homes and family members are unable to contact some elderly people who were trapped by the fighting in Minbya as internet and phone lines are down in Minbya Township.