Myanmar Airstrike Death Toll Rises to 50 in Rakhine State

AP

In this photo provided by Wai Hun Aung, smoke rises from a market after the area was allegedly hit by the military's airstrike in Kyauktaw township in Rakhine state.

The death toll from a Myanmar military airstrike in Rakhine State, near the border with Bangladesh, has risen to 50 after rescuers recovered more bodies on Tuesday, according to the rebel group that controls the area and a local aid worker.

The Arakan Army, which is fighting Myanmar’s military, said Monday’s airstrike on Kyauktaw town in Rakhine State killed 50 people and wounded at least 58 others. Local aid worker Wai Hun Aung confirmed the figures.

Women and children were among those whose bodies were recovered on Tuesday, according to photographs shared on social media by Wai Hun Aung.

Arakan Army spokesperson Khine Thu Kha said the military had “deliberately targeted densely populated markets, schools, civilians and residential buildings through airstrikes”.

A Myanmar government spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. The military has previously said it “exercises maximum restraint to avoid civilian harm”.

Myanmar has been embroiled in a nationwide civil war since a military coup in 2021, with an alliance of armed groups, including the Arakan Army, fighting against the military.

The protracted conflict has killed around 100,000 people and displaced more than 3.5 million across the impoverished Southeast Asian country.

Khine Thu Kha said the Arakan Army would use all available means to retaliate against the military and anyone involved in the bombing of civilians.

The Kyauktaw airstrike is the deadliest such attack in Rakhine State since a hospital was bombed in December, killing at least 30 people.

Source: Reuters



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