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A Myanmar subject aerial onslaught connected a colony marketplace successful the country’s westernmost authorities killed astatine slightest 17 people, 2 section sources said connected Wednesday (February 25, 2026).
Myanmar has been consumed by civilian warfare since the subject staged a coup 5 years ago, provoking equipped absorption from ideology activists and taste number factions that person agelong held sway successful the nation’s fringes.
The occidental coastal authorities of Rakhine is among the worst-hit regions. Controlled astir wholly by the taste number Arakan Army (AA), it has been blockaded by the junta and pummeled with regular aerial strikes.
The junta’s aerial unit deed the colony of Yoe Ngu successful Ponnagyun township, astir 33 kilometres (20 miles) northeast of authorities superior Sittwe connected Tuesday, according to the AA and a section unpaid group.
A Myanmar subject spokesperson could not beryllium reached for comment.
AA statements listed the names of 17 “innocent civilians”, including 3 children, killed successful the onslaught connected a marketplace astir 2:00 p.m. (0730 GMT) connected Tuesday (February 24, 20o26). It said 15 much radical had been wounded.
Pyae Phyo Naing, president of the Ponnagyun Youths Association, said: “In our list, determination are 18 confirmed deaths and 16 injured people.”
Arriving astatine the country aft the strike, helium described its aftermath arsenic “really bad, 4 oregon 5 buildings were burnt down and galore buildings were destroyed”.
“Some radical were crying, portion galore dormant bodies were scattered implicit the area,” the 23-year-old added.
“Some radical were moving distant from the country arsenic determination were besides houses inactive burning erstwhile we arrived.”
Aid groups regularly dependable alarms implicit the spiralling situation successful Rakhine, which borders Bangladesh.
The subject blockade connected apical of the struggle and caller sweeping cuts to planetary assistance person driven a “dramatic emergence successful hunger and malnutrition” successful the state, the World Food Programme warned past year.
While the subject has been accused of atrocities successful the state, the AA has its ain way grounds of rights abuses, according to monitors who person tallied incidents of alleged abduction, torture and execution.
The AA has emerged arsenic 1 of the astir almighty factions opposing the junta’s regularisation — pushing troops to a fistful of encircled positions successful Rakhine, including Sittwe.
The subject has been capable to clasp retired acknowledgment to proviso airlifts and strikes carried retired by its fleet of Chinese- and Russian-made jets.
