Junta launches airstrikes on AA-held Kyauktaw

By Admin 07 Jun 2024

DMG Newsroom
7 June 2024, Kyauktaw

Civilian casualties were reported after Myanmar’s military regime launched airstrikes on Kyauktaw Town, held by the Arakkha Army (AA), two days in a row, according to local residents.

Four ethnic Mro people were injured after a junta jet fighter launched air assaults on Shaukchaung Village, about three miles west of Kyauktaw, at around 1 p.m. on June 6, a villager said.

“The junta jet fighter dropped four 500-lb bombs on the village yesterday. One of the bombs fell in the village, wounding four people. It’s so scary. The villagers don't know where to flee,” the Shaukchaung villager added.

One of the injured sustained shrapnel wounds to his left thigh and he is said to be in critical condition. Shaukchaung Village is home to ethnic Arakanese, Mro and Daingnet people.

The regime, which continues to lose territory to AA advances in Arakan State, is using airstrikes to target civilians, and locals report a prevailing sense of fear.

“Junta jet fighters fly over Kyauktaw on a daily basis. A junta jet fighter opened fire on Shaukchaung Village. We feel insecure following the regime air attacks,” said a resident of Kyauktaw.

Local said a junta jet fighter opened fire on Kyauktaw and nearby areas at around 1 p.m. on Friday. DMG continues to investigate the details.

The AA seized Kyauktaw Town on February 7. Fierce clashes between the military and AA are ongoing in Maungdaw and Thandwe townships, with the regime using army, navy and air forces to defend against the AA onslaught.

“The regime continues to target the people with airstrikes and artillery attacks. The regime’s strategy is to coerce the people and defeat them. But because of doing so, the people become more resentful of the regime,” said U Pe Than, a veteran Arakanese politician.

The regime conducted 409 aerial attacks in Arakan State in the four months from January 1 to April 30 of this year, according to a report from Nyan Lin Thit, an independent research group monitoring Myanmar’s political situation.