At least 13 civilians were killed and more than 20 others injured when a junta fighter jet bombed a peaceful village in Rakhine State’s Rathedaung Township on Tuesday, Arakan Army (AA) spokesman Khaing Thukha confirmed to The Irrawaddy.
The fighter jet dropped two 500-lb bombs on Tun Yawai village around 10 a.m., and women and children were among the victims, he said.
“Twelve houses were completely destroyed. Thirteen bodies have been found, and more than 20 were injured. Other victims are feared still trapped beneath debris, so the number of casualties can increase,” he added.
The spokesman said there has been no fighting in Rathedaung since the town fell into the hands of the AA in March 2024, and Tuesday’s air raid was an unprovoked attack on a residential area.
“Fighting stopped in Rathedaung a long time ago. The terrorist regime deliberately bombed innocent civilians in a place where there is no fighting. It’s a grave war crime, and the regime must be held accountable for this,” Khaing Thukha said.
The AA has seized 14 of Rakhine’s 17 townships and was advancing on junta positions bordering Rakhine in Magwe, Bago, and Ayeyarwady regions until the devastating earthquake struck Myanmar on March 28.
Both the Brotherhood Alliance, which includes the AA, and the regime have declared a ceasefire until the end of May, but the regime instead dramatically ramped up aerial massacres of civilians in rebel-held territories, killing hundreds in just six weeks.
It carried out more than 500 air, artillery, and naval attacks in Rakhine alone since March 28, according to the AA.
In January, junta airstrikes killed at least 40 people and injured 50 others in Kyauk Ni Maw village in Ramree Township.
The same month, 28 women and children were killed in a junta bombing raid on detention centers in Mrauk-U Township that held family members of the junta’s own troops who had been arrested by the AA.
Only three Rakhine towns including the state capital Sittwe, Kyaukphyu, and Manaung remain under the control of the regime.
