Seven civilians killed by airstrikes in Arakan State’s Mrauk-U and Kyauktaw

Seven civilians, including an infant, were killed and at least 10 others were injured by airstrikes carried out by the Burma Air Force on two towns in Kyauktaw and Mrauk-U townships on Thursday, residents told DVB.

“We heard a loud explosion. Everyone ran away in a panic,” a Mrauk-U resident told DVB on the condition of anonymity.

Mrauk-U and Kyauktaw, located 60-88 miles (96-142 km) north and northeast of the Arakan State capital Sittwe, were seized by the Arakan Army (AA) in February 2024.

Four civilians from Kyauktaw and a family of three, including an infant, from Mrauk-U were among those killed by airstrikes on Feb. 12.

Residents told DVB that a fighter jet dropped bombs on Kyauktaw, then dropped two bombs on Mrauk-U, causing at least 10 civilian casualties. The injured are receiving medical attention at the AA Public Health Department clinic.

The regime renewed its martial law order in 14 Arakan townships, including Mrauk-U and Kyauktaw, under on Jan. 29.

The military’s 2025-26 elections were held in three Arakan townships under regime control, including Sittwe, Kyaukphyu and Manaung, according to the Union Election Commission (UEC).

At least 33 civilians were killed and 76 others were injured by airstrikes on a hospital in Mrauk-U on Dec. 10, 2025.

The AA has seized 14 out of Arakan’s 17 townships, including Paletwa Township in southern Chinland, since it launched an offensive on Nov. 13, 2023. It has expanded into its offensive into neighboring Bago, Magway and Ayeyarwady regions.