Junta launches fresh multi-aircraft bombardment of Kyauktaw mountain ranges

DMG Newsroom

8 October 2026, Kyauktaw

The military regime deployed a fleet of jet fighters and Y-12 aircraft to conduct heavy bombing raids on mountain ranges in the Hminechaung area of Kyauktaw Township, Arakan State, on the morning of October 8.

Local residents reported that three jet fighters and Y-12 aircraft dropped at least 30 bombs between 3:00 a.m. and 4:00 a.m. today on mountain ranges north of Yokethar Village and Nagayar Village in upper Kyauktaw Township.

“Formations of junta aircraft carried out the bombing run over the Hminechaung mountain range,” a local resident said. “They circled back and dropped bombs continuously, one aircraft after another. Exact casualty figures are not yet verified.”

The relentless fleet bombardments have caused severe terror among residents in nearby settlements in the Hminechaung area, including Zinchaung, Doetan, and Matin Hminechaung villages.

The Hminechaung mountain range serves as crucial agricultural land where local villagers maintain orchards and farms.

“Many locals rely on these orchards and cultivated plots for their livelihoods,” a local resident said. “The community here belongs to the Mro ethnic minority. The bombing last night was massive and non-stop, leaving everyone terrified.”

The military regime has escalated daily aerial attacks across multiple townships in Arakan State and throughout Kyauktaw Township in recent days.

On October 7, junta aircraft dropped hundreds of bombs near Military Operations Command 9 (MOC 9) headquarters near Kyauktaw Town, targeting areas surrounding Light Infantry Battalion 376 and the former cemetery grounds near Aungtawyoe Village, as well as areas near Nan Tet Theim Pagoda near Kyaungpho Village.

Previous strikes in Kyauktaw Township targeted Pyidawtha, Paikthel, and Winsu wards on September 25; the Indian Market and Kissapanadi Bridge on September 28; Thakyar Village across the river from Kyauktaw Town on September 30; and areas near Chaungtu Village on October 5.

“People in Kyauktaw are terrified to sleep at night,” another Kyauktaw resident said. “We lie awake listening constantly for the sound of jet engines. The military regime is deliberately targeting civilians from the air, making it impossible for people to earn a living.”

On October 7, junta forces also launched heavy airstrikes targeting Ngapyi Island and the Kyein Khway Maw mountain range in Werathani Township.

As fierce ground fighting continues in Sittwe Township with junta forces sustaining heavy casualties, the regime has intensified retaliatory air attacks across other townships in Arakan State.

With daily bombardments taking place across Arakan State, the United League of Arakan/Arakan Army (ULA/AA) has urged local residents to remain extremely vigilant regarding aerial threats.