A Myanmar junta airstrike has killed 28 people, including children, and wounded 25 at a temporary detention area in western Rakhine state, an ethnic minority armed group has said.
The Arakan Army (AA) posted on its Telegram channel that a military jet bombed a detention area in Mrauk-U Township at about 4.45pm local time on Saturday.
The AA, in conflict with the country’s military, had reportedly detained family members of junta soldiers during fighting.
However, it was not clear if the airstrike in Mrauk-U Township in western Rakhine state was mistargeted or if the junta was unaware of the location of the detained family members.
“Those who were killed and wounded were family members of soldiers in Myanmar’s Army. We arrested them during the fighting,” the AA claimed. The strike also injured 25 people.
The UN Development Programme warned in November that Rakhine was heading towards famine as fighting squeezed commerce and agricultural production.
The United Nations said this month more than 3.5 million people have been displaced by the conflict in Myanmar, an increase of 1.5 million from last year.
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