ULA says 49 civilians killed, 58 injured in Kyauktaw airstrike

By Admin 29 Sep 2026

DMG Newsroom
29 September 2026, Kyauktaw

At least 49 civilians were killed and 58 others injured in a Myanmar military airstrike on the busy India Market and the area near the Kissapanadi Bridge in Kyauktaw Township on September 28, according to the United League of Arakan (ULA).

In a three-page statement issued on September 28, the ULA strongly condemned the attack, saying the military bombed the crowded market and bridge area, causing mass civilian casualties.

According to the ULA’s latest statement, 49 civilians were killed and 58 others injured in the attack. Women, children and other civilians were among those killed and injured, the statement said.

The casualty figures are significantly higher than those initially reported by the Arakan Army (AA) shortly after the attack.

The AA initially reported that at least 33 civilians had been killed and 36 injured, warning at the time that the casualty toll could rise. According to the ULA’s latest statement, the toll subsequently rose to 49 dead and 58 injured as further information was gathered from the ground.

The airstrike occurred around midday on September 28, targeting the busy India Market and the area near the Kissapanadi Bridge in Kyauktaw.

The ULA said civilians were present in the area when the attack occurred.

The ULA accused the military of deliberately carrying out the airstrike on a civilian-populated area where there was no fighting at the time and strongly condemned the attack.

The statement also referred to previous airstrikes across Arakan and accused the military of continuing to carry out aerial attacks on civilian-populated areas, including locations far from active battlefields.

The Kyauktaw airstrike came after a series of military airstrikes and artillery attacks across Arakan in the preceding days.

Between September 17 and 27, at least six civilians were killed and 16 others injured in airstrikes and artillery attacks affecting Ann, Minbya, Gwa, Kyauktaw, Ponnagyun, Pauktaw, Rathedaung, Thandwe and Mrauk-U townships, according to an AA statement reported by DMG.

Those attacks also damaged dozens of civilian homes as well as religious and educational buildings.

The Kyauktaw airstrike occurred the following day and, according to the ULA’s latest figures, more than 100 civilians were killed or injured in the single attack.

Civilian casualties from military airstrikes in Arakan have already been high in recent years. According to records compiled by DMG, 602 civilians were killed and 1,211 injured in Myanmar military airstrikes across Arakan between April 2024 and September 12, 2026.

The figures are based on incidents that DMG was able to document and are not exhaustive, meaning the actual casualty toll could be higher. The tally also covers only the period through September 12 and therefore does not include casualties from attacks since September 13, including those from the September 28 Kyauktaw airstrike.

Recent monitoring has also documented a high concentration of military airstrikes targeting civilians in Arakan.

Between September 18 and 24, Arakan recorded the highest number of civilian-targeted airstrikes nationwide, according to data from Nyan Lynn Thit Analytica (NLTA) previously reported by DMG.

Of at least 36 civilian-targeted airstrike incidents documented across 24 townships in 12 states and regions during the seven-day period, 12 occurred in Arakan, accounting for one-third of the nationwide total.

Separate monitoring by the Institute for Strategy and Policy-Myanmar (ISP-Myanmar) also illustrates the scale of aerial operations in Arakan. Between March 31 and August 31, 2026, the Myanmar military carried out at least 222 airstrikes in Arakan, making it one of the areas subjected to the highest numbers of documented airstrikes nationwide during the five-month period.

In its September 28 statement, the ULA said attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure violated international humanitarian law and called on the international community and relevant organisations to take effective action to prevent further civilian casualties.

The ULA also urged people across Arakan to remain particularly vigilant against the threat of further military airstrikes and to follow air-raid warnings and other safety instructions.

DMG could not independently verify all of the casualty figures and allegations contained in the ULA’s September 28 statement.