Myanmar Airstrike Kills 33 Near Rakhine Market — SkimNews
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- Myanmar military struck near a market in Kyauktaw, Rakhine state on Monday, killing at least 33 people and injuring 36, per the Arakan Army and aid worker Wai Hun Aung
- Wai Hun Aung, an aid worker with a team operating in the area, said Kyauktaw "is quite far from the fighting and has nothing to do with the conflict," questioning any military rationale for the strike
- Myanmar has been in civil war since a 2021 coup, with the Arakan Army among a collection of armed groups fighting the military across multiple frontlines
- Myanmar's government previously said the military "exercises maximum restraint to avoid civilian harm," but a spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the Kyauktaw strike
- The Kyauktaw airstrike ranks among the deadliest in Rakhine since a December attack on a hospital in the western part of the state killed at least 30 people, according to the Arakan Army and Wai Hun Aung
- Reuters could not independently verify the details of the incident
Why it matters: The Kyauktaw strike deepens a documented pattern in Rakhine: despite the government's repeated claim that the military "exercises maximum restraint to avoid civilian harm," a market town an aid worker describes as far from fighting absorbed at least 33 deaths — the deadliest single incident since December's hospital strike that killed 30.
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