Myanmar military drone strike kills civilian, escalates tensions in key port town

A Myanmar military drone strike launched from a navy base near the Chinese-backed port town of Kyaukphyu, Rakhine State, killed one civilian, injured another, and damaged about ten homes in a village on Thursday, according to local residents.Based on reports by Rakhine-based media, the first drone assault consisted of at least six bombs which set several homes on fire. A second strike, which occurred approximately 45 minutes later, caused further civilian casualties.“Around 1pm yesterday, the drone attacks were carried out twice, killing a 61-year-old man and wounding another,” a local man from Kyaukphyu told Myanmar Now.Many residents had already fled the area following previous drone and airstrikes that destroyed homes and rice supplies. That same day, a junta naval vessel shelled Zin Chaung village, about 30 miles from Kyaukphyu, though no casualties were reported.Fighting between The Arakan Army (AA), a powerful ethnic. . .