Junta launches airstrikes on Sittwe, Ponnagyun Township

Salai Moe Aung, Narinjara News, 3 September 2024

The military junta carried out airstrikes with Y-12 aircraft on villages under  Sittwe and Ponnagyun townships of Rakhine State on 2 September from 2 to 3:30 pm. The targeted areas remain near Min Hla (also known as Mee Laung) village in Sittwe,  where the fighting took place recently.

The affected villages include Min Hla, Wah Bo and Nyo Yin Chaung under Sittwe as well as Kha Maung Taw, Aung Zeya and Ye Yoe Pyin under Ponnagyun.

“The junta soldiers dropped five bombs continuously from a warplane. I also heard that in Ponnagyun the airstrikes targeted areas where the battle erupted previously,” he added.

Narinjara News is documenting the civilian casualties because of airstrikes. After the airstrikes, the Y-12 aircraft flew towards east of Sittwe.

 On 29 August at  around 3:00 pm, fighting broke out between junta forces, who were conducting military operations towards Min Hla and the Arakan Army (AA) fighters.

Following high casualties among the junta soldiers in the battlefield, they started conducting airstrikes over the area where the fighting took place.

The junta soldiers also fired artillery shells and used drones hitting Kha Maung Taw village under Ponnagyun and damaged a monastery and several other houses.

On the afternoon and night hours of 30 August, the Par Da Leik battalion in Sittwe fired artillery shells indiscriminately around the battle area.

Later the airstrikes were carried out near the site of the fighting using a jet fighter by the junta soldiers in the morning and afternoon hours.