Junta airstrikes on Ponnagyun Twsp village kill two civilians

File photo showing a military aircraft involved in operations. Photo: CINCDS

DMG Newsroom

23 September 2026, Ponnagyun

A junta aerial assault dropped nearly 20 bombs on Phetkya Village in Ponnagyun Township, an area under Arakan Army control in Arakan State, early on September 23, killing an internally displaced person and a local resident.

At around 1:00 a.m. on Wednesday, junta aircraft, including two jet fighters and a Y-12 aircraft, carried out coordinated bombing runs, dropping nearly 20 bombs on Phetkya Village.

"Junta jet fighters carried out bombardments throughout the night, focusing on Ponnagyun Town and surrounding areas," a local resident said. "We confirmed that two local residents were killed in Phetkya Village. Everyone in this area is now living under constant military alert."

The bombing killed 57-year-old U Maung Mya Kyi, an internally displaced person from Sanpya Ward in Ponnagyun Town who was sheltering in Phetkya, and 76-year-old local resident U Aung Than Maung.

Phetkya Village, located more than five miles from Ponnagyun Town along the road to Rathedaung, serves as a major shelter site for displaced people fleeing conflict zones.

Junta bombs detonated inside residential areas of the village and near the local school. DMG is gathering additional details on the full extent of property damage.

"Letwe Sartaik, Phetkya, and Pauktawpyin villages house large populations of displaced people who fled from Sittwe," another local resident said. "Junta forces have also carried out airstrikes in this area in recent days, forcing many displaced families to flee once again to escape aerial attacks."

On September 17, junta aircraft bombed Phetkya Village, injuring one civilian.

Ponnagyun Township shelters the largest concentration of civilians displaced from Sittwe Town.

Local residents condemned the airstrikes on civilian settlement areas, calling them acts of terror targeting civilians in Arakan State.

Intense clashes continue between junta forces and the Arakan Army along parts of the border between Sittwe and Ponnagyun townships. Suffering ground defeats, the military regime has mounted relentless air attacks on townships controlled by the Arakan Army, driving up civilian casualties.

Across territories controlled by the Arakan Army in Arakan State, junta airstrikes targeted Ponnagyun, Werathani, Anjanapura, and Gwa townships within a 48-hour period on September 21 and 22, killing two civilians and wounding two others.