Three civilians, including two Muslim children, were injured and nearly 10 homes were damaged after Myanmar military aircraft bombed a Muslim-majority village in Buthidaung Township, northern Arakan State, on Tuesday, according to local sources and AB News field reporting.
The airstrike took place shortly after 11:00 a.m., when a Myanmar military jet fighter and a Y-12 aircraft reportedly dropped two 500-pound bombs near Kyet Mauk Taung Village. The bombs landed just west of the village, sending shrapnel into nearby residential areas.
Residents said the attack came without warning.
“It was raining heavily, so we couldn't even hear the aircraft. Suddenly, two bombs exploded one after another. Two children and one adult were injured by the shrapnel,” a local woman told AB News.
The injured were identified as 12-year-old Soe Dul Amin, a Grade 3 student, 12-year-old Mohammad Arosh, and 50-year-old U Amin Husong, all residents of Kyet Mauk Taung Village.
According to local sources, Soe Dul Amin sustained the most serious injuries, suffering a fractured left femur. Mohammad Arosh was wounded by shrapnel to the lower abdomen, while U Amin Husong sustained injuries above his right eye. The seriously injured child was taken to a nearby medical facility for emergency treatment.
Residents said there had been no active fighting in or around the village when the strike occurred.
“There was no fighting here. Peaceful civilians were simply living their lives when the bombs fell. We don't know why our village was targeted. Now we live in constant fear, wondering when the next airstrike will come,” another resident said.
The explosions also damaged nearly 10 Muslim-owned homes. Local sources said the residences of U Ayatullah, U Nur Islam, Daw Hafsa Bibi, U Zafor, U Shaom Shu Alam, U Saw Lim, and U Bawdi Alam were among those sustaining the heaviest damage.
The attack follows another reported Myanmar military airstrike on June 24 in Maungdaw Township, where two 500-pound bombs reportedly injured two female Grade 12 students and damaged more than 10 Hindu-owned homes.
Local residents say Myanmar military air operations have increasingly targeted civilian-populated areas across Arakan State in recent weeks, resulting in civilian casualties and widespread destruction of homes and other civilian property.
Buthidaung Township is one of northern Arakan's largest Muslim-populated areas, with numerous villages inhabited predominantly by Muslim communities.
The reported casualties and extent of the damage could not be independently verified. The Myanmar military had not issued an official statement on the reported airstrike at the time of publication.
Photo: ABN
