Nearly 500 flee homes after junta airstrike on POW detention site in Ann

By Admin 12 Mar 2026

DMG Newsroom

12 March 2026, Ann

Nearly 500 residents from three villages have fled their homes after the Myanmar military carried out an airstrike on a detention center holding prisoners of war (POWs) in the Darlatchaung area of Ann Township, Arakan State.

The Arakan Army (AA) said in a statement that 116 prisoners were killed and 32 others severely injured when the military bombed the detention facility on March 8.

Following the attack, residents from three nearby villages fled to safer areas out of fear, according to a local man from Ann Township.

“The fact that the military dropped hundreds of bombs is absolutely terrifying. Residents are in a state of severe psychological trauma and have fled to safer villages,” he said.

The Darlatchaung area consists of around 40 villages, mostly inhabited by ethnic Chin communities who rely on upland farming for their livelihoods.

The military has recently escalated airstrikes against the Arakan Army, increasingly targeting not only towns and villages but also sites where prisoners of war are being held.

Observers say the nature of the junta’s aerial attacks has shifted toward the use of large quantities of high-explosive ordnance, resulting in more mass-casualty incidents.

“The military regime has become heartless, committing ruthless acts. The Darlatchaung incident is horrifying, with so many lives lost. These were their own personnel, yet the military does not seem to care anymore. It appears to be an escalation of their air campaign to cause maximum destruction and instill fear,” said a human rights activist in Arakan State.

The Arakan Army said civilian detainees were also among those killed in the attack, and that several high-ranking military officers were included among the dead.

According to available records, the military has carried out airstrikes on five different detention centers across Arakan State in six separate incidents, resulting in nearly 200 deaths and more than 100 injuries.

As airstrikes intensify across Arakan State, residents are being urged to remain vigilant against the threat of aerial attacks.