4 Per Day: Civilian Casualties Surge as Regime Targets Rakhine Communities

The Myanmar military carried out 27 airstrikes on Arakan Army (AA)-controlled towns across Rakhine and Chin states in July and August, killing and injuring more than 200 civilians.

Fifteen people were killed and 87 wounded in July alone, according to data compiled by The Irrawaddy, while the toll in August rose to 38 dead and 76 injured. In total, 53 civilians were killed and 163 injured in two months of bombing — an average of four casualties every day.

Previously, most airstrikes were carried out by a single warplane. But since Ye Win Oo succeeded Min Aung Hlaing as military chief in March, the regime has deployed three or more warplanes in each raid, targeting mostly civilian areas.

Thandwe town, home to the famous Ngapali Beach, was bombed multiple times. Other civilian centers heavily targeted were Rathetaung, Kyauktaw, Gwa, Kyeintali, Ponnagyun, Mrauk-U, Ann, and Taungup in Rakhine and neighboring Paletwa in Chin State.

Among the victims were infants, schoolchildren, monks, women, and the elderly.

A resident of Gwa Township described the intentional bombing of civilian communities as “utterly inhumane” and beyond military brutality.

“This is not the mindset of a human being. It is cruelty beyond words,” he said.

Residents of coastal communities such as Ngapali have fled their homes under repeated aerial bombardment,

“Thandwe is almost destroyed and people are running for their lives. Killing civilians to win a war will never succeed,” said one villager, accusing the regime of targeting civilians in a strategy to undermine AA morale.

According to the AA’s Humanitarian and Development Cooperation Office (HDCO), regime attacks across Rakhine killed 83 civilians and injured 187 in the first half of 2026. Analysts note that the military has struck schools, monasteries, and residential quarters — areas with no military value.

A Rakhine-based analyst said the regime is using a well-worn strategy to force the AA to join its so-called peace talks.

“The rebranded junta wants to relieve pressure on its troops, who are fighting on multiple fronts. So, they are trying to force the AA into talks by killing civilians. These actions are abhorrent. War must be fought against soldiers, not against innocent bystanders.”

AA spokesman Khaing Thukha said the airstrikes amounted to war crimes. “The regime is calling for peace talks, but this is just displaying a goat’s head while selling dog meat [deception]. If their true intention was peace, they would halt indiscriminate killings and show sincerity. Otherwise, it’s just lip service.”

Heavy fighting is currently raging near Taung Maw Oo naval base in Kyaukphyu Township, with reports of mounting regime losses and defections. AA forces have also surrounded the state capital Sittwe, one of only three Rakhine towns still under regime control. Meanwhile, the military has deployed thousands of reinforcements to neighboring Magwe, Bago, and Ayeyarwady regions as AA troops push beyond the Rakhine border.