Bangkok: An alleged airstrike by Myanmar's military has devastated a village in Rakhine state, claiming the lives of several students, according to reports from the Arakan Army (AA) and local media. The victims, aged between 15 and 21, were reportedly killed when two private schools were targeted.
According to Deutsche Welle, the airstrike, which occurred in the western state of Rakhine, resulted in the deaths of numerous individuals, predominantly students. The attack allegedly took place at two private high schools in a village, with local media reporting that 22 students were killed. Myanmar Now, a local news outlet, claimed that a junta warplane dropped two 500-pound bombs on one of the schools while students were asleep.
The schools were identified as Pyinnyar Pan Khinn and A Myin Thit high schools. Due to restricted communications in the area, these reports remain unconfirmed. The military, which has been frequently accused of targeting civilian areas, has not acknowledged any such attack in the region.
The United Nations' children's agency, UNICEF, condemned the event, describing it as a "brutal attack" and highlighting a pattern of increasing violence in Rakhine State. The agency noted that children and families are bearing the brunt of the ongoing conflict.
The military in Myanmar has faced widespread allegations of violence against civilians since it seized power from the government led by Aung San Suu Kyi in 2021. More than 7,200 individuals are believed to have died due to military actions since the coup. Rakhine, historically known as Arakan, experienced a severe military crackdown in 2017, which forced approximately 740,000 Rohingya Muslims to flee to Bangladesh.