Airstrikes hit four towns in Rakhine State as military ‘Operation 4926’ falters
At least two civilians were killed and three others were injured in simultaneous airstrikes carried out by the Myanmar Air Force in Arakan State’s Ponnagyun, Pauktaw, Gwa and Minbya townships on Monday. The four towns, located 20-400 miles (32-643 km) northeast and south of the Arakan State capital Sittwe, were seized by the Arakan Army (AA) in 2024.
A resident in Ponnagyun’s Kalachaung village was killed by airstrikes on Sept. 21, after most residents had fled their homes on Sept. 4 after the military launched “Operation 4926” against the AA.
One resident was killed and another was injured by airstrikes in Pauktaw’s Taungphu village on Sept. 21, residents told DVB. Two civilians were injured in Gwa, roughly 300 miles (482 km) south of Pauktaw, in airstrikes that occurred on the same day. No casualties were reported from airstrikes in Minbya.
On Sept. 20, sources told DVB that two civilians were killed by artillery strikes in Rathedaung Township, 44 miles (70 km) north of Sittwe. Sources close to the AA told DVB that the military’s counteroffensive in Ponnagyun “faltered” and regime troops retreated to their base in Sittwe Township on an unspecified date.
Over 1,000 regime troops arrived in Sittwe as reinforcements in mid-August, which allowed the regime counteroffensive in Ponnagyun to begin.
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