Airstrike on two schools in western Myanmar kills at least 18, mostly students

An airstrike on two private schools in a village in western Myanmar killed at least 18 people, most of them students, the Arakan Army and local media reported Friday, in an attack that relief workers said also wounded more than 20 others.

The nighttime strike hit Pyinnyar Pan Khinn and A Myin Thit Private High Schools in Thayet Thapin village in Kyauktaw township, in Rakhine state, according to the Arakan Army. Khaing Thukha, a spokesperson for the armed group, said a jet fighter dropped two bombs on the campus buildings and that most victims were "17 to 18-years-old students from the private schools." The military government did not announce any operations in the area.

Wai Hun Aung, who directs relief work in Rakhine, told The Associated Press that those killed were among 30 to 40 boarders at the schools and that at least six nearby houses were damaged. He said 21 people were injured, including six in critical condition. Rakhine-based local online media reported a higher toll of 22 students killed and posted photos and videos showing debris and damaged buildings. Independent confirmation of the scene was hampered by restricted internet and cellphone service in the area.

Thayet Thapin lies in Kyauktaw township, which the Arakan Army captured in February of last year. The Arakan Army is the military wing of a Rakhine ethnic movement that seeks greater autonomy from Myanmar's central government. It launched an offensive in Rakhine in November 2023 and has since taken control of a regional army headquarters and the majority of the state's townships.

Myanmar has been in widespread unrest since the military seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi on Feb. 1, 2021. The coup prompted mass protests that were met with lethal force, after which many opponents of military rule formed or joined armed resistance groups. Large areas of the country have been engulfed in fighting, and nongovernmental organizations estimate that security forces have killed more than 7,200 people since the coup.

The military government has increased the use of air power in recent months against pro-democracy resistance forces, including the People's Defense Force. Those groups generally lack effective defenses against air attacks, humanitarian workers and analysts say, raising concerns about civilian harm when strikes occur in populated or contested areas.

Rakhine state has a recent history of intense and destructive military operations. In 2017 a counterinsurgency campaign by Myanmar’s armed forces drove roughly 740,000 Rohingya Muslims across the border into Bangladesh. Local and international aid agencies warn that renewed fighting risks further displacement and civilian casualties in an already volatile region.

Access to Thayet Thapin and surrounding areas has been limited since the outbreak of fighting, complicating efforts by aid groups and journalists to verify casualty figures and provide assistance. The Arakan Army and local media accounts are the primary sources for the reported toll. The military government has not issued a statement about the reported airstrike.

Humanitarian organizations and relief workers have repeatedly called for safe access to conflict zones in Myanmar to assess needs and treat the wounded. With communications disruptions and ongoing hostilities, independent verification of events on the ground often remains difficult, leaving significant aspects of incidents such as Friday's strike unconfirmed.