Arakan records highest civilian toll from junta airstrikes in three months: NLTA

Arakan (Rakhine) State recorded Myanmar’s highest combined civilian death and injury toll from military airstrikes between July and September 2026, with at least 98 people killed and 175 injured, according to a report released by Nyan Lynn Thit Analytica (NLTA) on October 31.

By Admin 01 Nov 2026

The scene following a military regime airstrike on India Market in Kyauktaw Town at 12:00 p.m. on September 28, 2026. Photo: AA Info Desk

DMG Newsroom

1 November 2026, Yangon

Arakan (Rakhine) State recorded Myanmar’s highest combined civilian death and injury toll from military airstrikes between July and September 2026, with at least 98 people killed and 175 injured, according to a report released by Nyan Lynn Thit Analytica (NLTA) on October 31.

The research organisation documented 449 air-attack incidents nationwide during the three-month period, resulting in at least 276 civilian deaths and 558 injuries.

According to NLTA, Myanmar’s military conducted air attacks on all 92 days of the reporting period, averaging nearly five incidents daily. Approximately 73 percent of the documented incidents were classified as attacks targeting civilians.

Arakan recorded 90 incidents, the highest number among Myanmar’s states and regions, followed by Magway Region with 85 and Sagaing Region with 74.

Within Arakan, Kyauktaw Township recorded 50 civilian deaths, the highest township-level death toll nationwide, followed by Thandwe Township with 25.

Ponnagyun Township recorded 19 air-attack incidents, placing it among the five townships with the highest number of incidents nationwide.

The findings come amid continuing conflict between Myanmar’s military and the Arakan Army (AA), an ethnic armed organisation that controls most of Arakan State following major territorial gains against junta forces.

The report also documented damage to civilian infrastructure nationwide, including at least 25 religious buildings, 15 schools and five hospitals or clinics. Homes, farmland and other civilian property were also affected.

In addition to conventional air attacks, NLTA documented 148 drone attacks targeting civilians during the same period, killing 62 people and injuring 125 others.

The organisation separately recorded six attacks involving motorised paragliders, resulting in eight deaths and eight injuries, and 21 gyrocopter attacks that killed 23 civilians and injured 35.

These figures were presented in separate categories, and the report did not explicitly establish whether their casualty totals could be combined without overlap.

NLTA’s longer-term monitoring indicates that aerial attacks have remained a major threat to civilians since Myanmar’s February 2021 military coup.

Between February 2021 and September 2026, the organisation documented 7,954 air-attack incidents nationwide, resulting in 4,909 civilian deaths and 8,467 injuries.

During the first nine months of 2026 alone, NLTA recorded 1,369 incidents, killing 940 civilians and injuring 1,629 others.

The organisation said its findings were compiled from reports published by 43 news media outlets and statements issued by revolutionary organisations.

It cautioned that actual figures could be higher because reporting limitations may have prevented some incidents from being documented.

The findings highlight the continuing civilian toll of Myanmar’s conflict, particularly in Arakan, where changes in territorial control have not eliminated the threat of aerial attacks.

DMG could not independently verify all the incidents and casualty figures documented in the report.