One woman was killed and three other civilians were injured by two airstrikes carried out by the Myanmar Air Force on Thandwe Township in Arakan State on Monday, according to residents and the Arakan Army (AA).
“The fighting has become so intense that many residents are being forced to flee to safer areas,” a Thandwe resident told DVB on the condition of anonymity.
The AA confirmed the airstrikes in a statement published on its social media account on Sept. 7. Thandwe is located 160 miles (260 km) south of the Arakan State capital Sittwe.
Residents of Ponnagyun and Rathedaung townships, located 20-30 miles (32-48 km) north of Sittwe, told DVB that thousands of people living in 20 villages from two townships have been displaced from their homes since Sept. 4 due to retaliatory airstrikes and artillery fired by regime forces on AA-controlled territory. No casualties were reported.
The AA has seized 14 out of Arakan’s 17 townships, as well as neighboring Chin State’s Paletwa Township, since it launched a statewide offensive on Nov. 13, 2023. It has expanded its offensive into neighbouring Ayeyarwady, Bago and Magway regions in 2025.
