Myanmar Military's Airstrike Hits Market in Rebel-Controlled Rakhine State, Kills 49

Naypyidaw: An airstrike carried out by Myanmar's military near a busy market in territory controlled by a rebel group killed at least 49 people and wounded 58 others on Monday, according to the armed group and a local rescue official, in one of the deadliest such attacks reported in the region.

The strike hit around noon in Kyauktaw township, roughly 210 miles west of Mandalay, an area under the control of the Arakan Army, a powerful ethnic armed group fighting for autonomy in Rakhine state. According to the group, a fighter jet dropped two bombs near the market, which served as the region's main wholesale hub, drawing traders and shoppers from across the state. Of the 58 injured, 22 were reported to be in critical condition. Details of the attack could not be independently verified, and Myanmar's military did not immediately comment.

Wai Hun Aung, a senior rescue official in Rakhine, confirmed the casualty figures to the Associated Press, citing rescue workers at the scene, and described it as one of the most severe airstrikes the region has witnessed. The Arakan Army vowed retaliatory action against those responsible for what it called deliberate strikes causing mass civilian casualties.

The attack is the latest in a series of deadly aerial assaults carried out by Myanmar's military against pro-democracy resistance forces and ethnic armed groups nationwide. The country has remained in turmoil since the military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021, a move that triggered widespread opposition and, after a violent crackdown on peaceful protests, pushed many opponents of military rule to take up arms across large parts of the country.