Junta Air Force Launches Massive Aerial Assault on Kyauktaw and Minbya

Narinjara, May 7, 2026

The Myanmar Junta Air Force launched a series of heavy airstrikes targeting Kyauktaw and Minbya townships in Rakhine State on May 7, 2026.

Starting around 10:00 p.m., jet fighters and Y-12 transport aircraft reportedly dispatched from the Tada-U Air Force Base in the Mandalay Region, began a continuous bombardment of Kyauktaw Township.

Residents reported a relentless wave of attacks near the foot of Akar Taung Mountain.

“They are coming one after another,” one Kyauktaw local told Narinjara.

Another resident noted that at least five separate jet bombings were heard south of Akar Taung Mount within a single 15-minute window starting at 10:00 p.m. By 10:19 p.m., the sound of Y-12 aircraft dropping ordnance in the same area was also confirmed.

Earlier in the day, the Junta targeted Minbya Township with a coordinated fleet of aircraft. Between 2:30 p.m. and 3:40 p.m., five jet fighters and two Y-12 planes bombed the mountainous terrain near Kyauk Khat village. While the intensity of the strikes was high, the full extent of the damage and casualties remains unknown.

Local sources describe these operations as part of a broader strategy of sporadic aerial attacks against townships currently held by the Arakan Army (AA). Recent reports highlight an escalation in violence across the state:

May 6: At 2:00 p.m., the Air Force conducted reconnaissance near the former Light Infantry Battalion 563 base in Gwa Township using a Y-12, followed by three fighter jets dropping over a dozen bombs.

April 22: The Pi Chaung area of Kyauktaw Township was targeted by fighter jets and Y-12s.

April 19: Airstrikes in Ponnagyun and Mrauk-U townships killed one civilian and injured 14 others, according to the Arakan Army.

April 1: Four fighter jets struck Thandwe Township, resulting in the deaths of four people including two children and leaving three others wounded.