21 POWs killed, 30 wounded in junta bombing on AA prison facility

Narinjara News, January 22, 2026

Reports indicate that the junta's air force targeted an AA prison facility located west of Chaung Tu village in Kyauktaw Township, Rakhine State. This assault led to the deaths of 21 prisoners of war along with members of their families, and an additional 30 individuals sustained injuries.

The deceased and injured included children, women, and men, with five of the injured reported to be in critical condition, according to a source close to the AA.

It is believed that the victims were prisoners of war who defected to the AA from the 377th and 539th Battalions in Kyauktaw Township back in 2024.

Two fighter jets from the junta's air force bombed the AA facility on January 20. Around 7:25 pm, they dropped four 300-pound bombs on the POW site.

The bombs exploded in multiple parts of the facility, affecting the clinic where prisoners were receiving medical care and the quarters for women and children, as well as the section designated for male prisoners.

The AA released a statement concerning the bombing but did not specify the casualty figures. The announcement noted that the junta's actions resulted in deaths and injuries among some POWs and their families.

The AA emphasized that the POWs and their families were supposed to be released immediately. Previously, the military's air force had launched strikes on sites where POWs and their relatives were being held amid the AA's urban offensive.

On January 18, 2025, the Military Commission air force similarly targeted three regions close to Ramchaung in Mrauk-U Township, where AA prisoners of war and their families were temporarily held.

The AA detailed that 28 women and children lost their lives, while 25 others were injured in that incident.

On September 8, 2024, the Military Commission air force bombed an AA prison facility near Shin Ywa Village, Alay Phayongka Kyun, located south of Pauktaw Township, leading to the death of 17 individuals, among them seven prisoners of war, according to the AA.

The next day, on September 9, the AA also struck the Lay Mai (Nakha Kha-2) camp in Maungdaw Township, on the western edge of Rakhine State, resulting in the deaths of over 50 individuals, including both prisoners of war and civilian detainees.