Victims’ families demand justice over Kyauktaw airstrike massacre

By Admin 03 Oct 2026

DMG Newsroom

3 October 2026, Kyauktaw

Bereaved family members and local residents are demanding the prosecution of those responsible and calling for swift justice after military regime airstrikes killed dozens of civilians near India Market and the Kissapanadi Bridge in Kyauktaw Township, Arakan State.

On September 28, a junta jet fighter dropped two 500-pound bombs near India Market and the Kissapanadi Bridge in Kyauktaw Town, killing 50 civilians and injuring 58 others.

The dead and wounded included young children, women, pregnant mothers, market shoppers, commuters and local residents.

Ko Maung Soe Win, a resident of Paikthel Ward in Kyauktaw Town who lost his nine-month-pregnant wife in the attack, called on the international community to hold military leaders accountable.

“I want the international community to impose punitive actions so our Arakanese people do not have to suffer like this,” Ko Maung Soe Win said. “I want international action taken against Min Aung Hlaing so families are not torn apart.”

His wife was killed in the airstrike while visiting India Market to go shopping with their daughter.

Similarly, Ko Khin Maung Hla from Naepukhan Village in Kyauktaw Township lost his mother and two brothers in the same attack.

Expressing profound grief over losing his family members, he demanded accountability for those who ordered the attack.

“What I want to say is that I would be satisfied if the Arakan Army retaliated against the military in the exact same manner as they bombed my mother and two brothers,” Ko Khin Maung Hla said. “Since I lost my mother and brothers because of them, I want the Arakan Army to fight back against them.”

The Kyauktaw airstrike drew widespread international condemnation, alongside calls for an immediate end to attacks targeting civilians.

Despite these international calls, the military regime continues to conduct relentless aerial attacks across multiple townships in Arakan State following the Kyauktaw massacre.

Consequently, grave concerns remain regarding civilian safety and the potential for further mass casualties across the state.