At least 33 killed in Myanmar military airstrike in Rakhine

Collected Photo

At least 33 people were killed and 36 injured in a Myanmar military airstrike near a market in Kyauktaw, a town in the conflict-hit Rakhine State bordering Bangladesh, according to the Arakan Army and a local aid worker.

The Arakan Army, an armed group fighting Myanmar’s military and controlling the area, said the airstrike hit Kyauktaw on Monday.

Wai Hun Aung, a local aid worker whose team operates in the area, also confirmed the reported casualty figures.

He said the location was far from the main fighting and had no connection to the ongoing conflict.

Myanmar has been embroiled in armed conflict since the military seized power from the elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi in a 2021 coup. The Arakan Army and other armed groups have since been fighting the military on multiple fronts.

Reuters could not independently verify the details of the airstrike. A spokesperson for Myanmar’s government did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The government has previously said the military exercises maximum restraint to avoid civilian harm.

The Arakan Army and Wai Hun Aung said the Kyauktaw airstrike was among the deadliest such incidents in Rakhine since an airstrike on a hospital in western Rakhine in December 2025 killed at least 30 people.