Myanmar air strike kills at least 33 near market in Rakhine state

An air strike in northern Rakhine state has killed at least 33 people and wounded 36 others, according to rebel and rescue officials. The attack took place near a market in Kyauktaw, in territory controlled by rebel factions, on Monday at around noon local time. Officials said the strike hit a busy civilian area in one of the most heavily affected parts of western Myanmar.

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The Arakan Army said a fighter jet dropped two bombs near the local market, killing vendors, shoppers and pedestrians. Wai Hun Aung, a senior rescue official in Rakhine, confirmed the details and said the market was the region's main wholesale centre, drawing traders and shoppers from across the state. He said the death toll could still rise, while photos and videos shared on social media showed buildings on fire, damaged vehicles and part of a nearby bridge destroyed.

The military did not immediately comment on the attack. It has previously said it targets only legitimate military objectives and has accused resistance groups of terrorism. The strike comes amid a wider conflict that began after the elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi was ousted in the 2021 coup, which triggered armed opposition across the country.

Since then, Myanmar has been locked in a civil war involving the military government and a range of ethnic armed and pro-democracy groups. Rakhine state has become one of the conflict's most significant battlegrounds. Nearly half a million people are displaced there as a result of the fighting, and the military has imposed severe restrictions on trade routes to the state, worsening food shortages.

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The Arakan Army, which seeks autonomy for Rakhine's ethnic minority, launched an offensive in November 2023 and has since captured strategically important military headquarters and 14 of the state's 17 townships. The latest strike is likely to intensify concern over civilian safety in an area already facing displacement, shortages and repeated attacks. It also underlines the continuing reach of Myanmar's military air power in contested territory, even as rebel groups expand their control on the ground.

The attack on a market is especially significant because it hit a place used by traders and residents from across the state. Myanmar's military has previously carried out air strikes in Rakhine, including one in December on a hospital in Mrauk U township that killed at least three people. The broader conflict has also been shaped by the military's consolidation of power, including the election of Min Aung Hlaing by a military-backed parliament in April.

What remains unclear is whether the death toll will rise further, whether the military will issue a statement, and whether the attack will prompt any immediate change in the fighting around Kyauktaw and the wider state.

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