Over two dozen killed by airstrikes on trading site in Magway Region

At least 25 people, including two women, were killed and 20 others were wounded during airstrikes carried out by the Myanmar Air Force on a trading junction in Magway Region, a local resistance group and independent online media reported on Sunday. Around 14 vehicles were burned or damaged by the explosions.

The strikes occurred near Pyaung village, west of Mindon Township, twice on March 1, according to the spokesperson of the Thayet District Battalion No. 4, which operates in Magway Region. Ko Myat, the group’s spokesperson, said that two jet fighters bombed a trading point on a road, where locals and truck drivers load and exchange goods.

“We are carrying out search, rescue and cremation operations,” Ko Myat added. Local media reported that the death toll was between 20 and 25. They also posted photos and videos on social media showing what they said was the aftermath of the strike, with images of bodies and damaged vehicles.

The attack is the latest in a series of frequent and deadly aerial strikes targeting armed pro-democracy forces and ethnic armed groups in the country. The strikes often cause civilian casualties.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1, 2021, triggering widespread popular opposition. After peaceful demonstrations were put down with lethal force, many opponents of military rule took up arms, and large parts of the country are now embroiled in conflict.

Regime media in Myanmar hasn’t reported any attacks in Mindon, about 120 miles (320 km) northwest of Yangon, the country’s largest city and commercial capital.

A local media outlet reported that the bombs struck the area where traders exchanged goods between Magway and neighboring Rakhine State. It said most of the victims were traders from Rakhine, where the Arakan Army (AA) is based.

The AA seeks autonomy from Myanmar’s central government. It began its offensive in Rakhine in November 2023 and has seized a strategically important regional army headquarters and 14 of Rakhine’s 17 townships.

Since fighting escalated in Rakhine, the military has imposed severe restrictions on trade routes, worsening food shortages.

Last Tuesday, an army airstrike on a village market in Rakhine’s Ponnagyun Township reportedly killed at least 17 people.

AP