Myanmar airstrike kills seven civilians: witnesses

KYAUKTAW, (Myanmar): A Myanmar military airstrike has killed seven civilians including a five-year-old child in the country's conflict-ravaged west, a witness and a rescue worker said Thursday (June 18).

Civil war engulfed Myanmar in 2021 when the military staged a coup, ending a decade-long democratic interlude and deposing the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.

The military's air force furnished with Chinese and Russian jets has been key to fending off opposing pro-democracy guerillas and ethnic minority armies, but rights groups say they often strike civilians.

Local rescue worker Naing Win Lwin said from around 3:00 pm (0830 GMT) on Wednesday a trio of jets dropped nine bombs around the town of Kyauktaw in the western state of Rakhine, which borders Bangladesh.

He said seven people including the young child were killed and 15 people were wounded.

A Myanmar military spokesman did not respond to a request for comment.

In Kyauktaw, the ruins of buildings were charred and still smouldering on Thursday as shopkeeper Htay Htay recounted losing her husband among the seven fatalities.