Myanmar military airstrike hits IDP camp in Rakhine, killing 12 including a five-year-old

Myanmar's military carried out an airstrike on the Byar La camp for internally displaced people in Ponnagyun Township, Rakhine State, at about 7 p.m. on Friday (November 13), killing 12 civilians, including a five-year-old child, and injuring at least 18, according to the Arakan media outlet Global Arakan Network. The camp shelters displaced civilians from several areas.

Second strike on the same camp in six weeks

The report said two fighter jets also struck the same camp on October 4 at about 5:10 p.m. According to the Burma News International (BNI), that attack killed six displaced civilians and injured 11. The Arakan Army (AA), which controls much of Rakhine State, has urged the public to stay alert to airstrikes at all times.

Ground offensive stalled, junta turns to civilian targets

According to BNI, the military launched a major month-long offensive, codenamed “Operation 4926,” at midnight on September 4, but failed to make strategic gains; after the setback, it intensified aerial bombardments of civilian areas across Rakhine State. On September 28, an airstrike on a crowded market and a nearby bridge in Kyauktaw Township killed 50 civilians and wounded 58. UNICEF said earlier this month it was deeply alarmed by reports of children killed and injured in airstrikes in Myanmar, and Rakhine civil society groups are calling on the United Nations for a no-fly zone.

Sources: Global Arakan Network (citing ONN); Burma News International; UNICEF. The casualty figures for this strike come from a single source and are still being verified; the military has not commented.