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At least 15 people, including a newborn baby and three students, have been killed in a series of airstrikes by Myanmar’s military in Rakhine and Kayah states, according to local sources and rights groups.
The attacks took place over the weekend, targeting several locations, including residential areas, a maternity clinic and a school.
On Sunday, November 1, airstrikes hit four townships in western Rakhine State — Kyauktaw, Mrauk-U, Pauktaw and Kyaukpyu.
At least 12 people were killed and 32 others injured, according to an Arakan Army spokesperson and an aid worker.
A makeshift clinic and maternity ward in Mrauk-U, an area controlled by the Arakan Army, were among the targets.
A one-week-old baby girl was killed when the building collapsed following an explosion. Four other people, including healthcare workers, also died in the attack. The baby’s twin survived.
A day earlier, an airstrike hit a school in Loikaw, in eastern Kayah State, while classes were underway.
Three students were killed and five others injured, according to the Karenni Human Rights Group.
Local sources said a transport aircraft and a fighter jet dropped more than 20 bombs on the school. They claimed there were no military movements or clashes in the area at the time.
A representative of the Karenni Interim Executive Council condemned the attack, describing the targeting of a school as an inhumane act that could amount to a war crime.
Myanmar’s military government did not immediately comment on the latest attacks.
It has previously claimed that its military operations target armed groups.
Myanmar has been embroiled in a civil war since the military ousted the elected government in a February 2021 coup.
The conflict has killed an estimated 100,000 people and displaced more than 3.5 million, according to the United Nations.
Sources: Reuters, Anadolu Agency. Reuters +2