Gwa Township residents told DVB that one civilian was killed and two others were injured by an airstrike on Monday carried out by the Myanmar Air Force on Ahtetbawin village in Gwa, located 250 miles (402 km) south of the Arakan State capital Sittwe, which has been under Arakan Army (AA) control since Dec. 29.
“A fighter jet dropped bombs onto the village at about 1 am, thinking that AA troops were inside the village. But it killed innocent civilians,” a Gwa resident told DVB on the condition of anonymity.
A 60-year-old man was killed and his son and daughter, ages 12 and 26, were seriously injured by the airstrike. They are now receiving medical treatment at the hospital.
“Life is becoming increasingly difficult for people in Rakhine State,” said Thomas Kean, a senior consultant on Myanmar and Bangladesh for the International Crisis Group (ICG).
Sources close to the AA claimed that fighting with regime forces in Thabaung Township of neighbouring Ayeyarwady Region has intensified since February. Thabaung is located 62 miles (99 km) southeast of Gwa. The AA has expanded its offensive from Arakan into Ayeyarwady, Bago and Magway regions since December.
