Junta airstrikes kill over 25, including Arakanese merchants, in Mindon Twsp

By Admin 02 Mar 2026

DMG Newsroom

2 March 2026, Mindon, Magway Region

At least 25 people, including Arakanese merchants and truck drivers, were killed in a series of airstrikes carried out by Myanmar’s military regime on a truck stop near Pyaung Village in Mindon Township, Magway Region, close to the Arakan State border, according to officials from the Thayet District People’s Defence Force (PDF).

The attack occurred at around 11:30 a.m. on March 1, when two junta fighter jets carried out at least eight consecutive bombing runs on the site.

Ko Ba Hein, an official from the Thayet District PDF, said the strikes destroyed at least 10 cargo trucks, with estimated losses of approximately K20 billion.

“The military regime bombed a rest stop for merchants and travelers near Pyaung Village at least eight times. They used ten 300-pound bombs and rockets in a continuous barrage, killing 25 civilians and travelers and wounding 20 others,” Ko Ba Hein told DMG.

He added that three of the deceased were local residents, while the identities of the remaining 22 victims were still being verified, though they were believed to be Arakanese merchants.

“We are doing our best to provide medical care to the injured, but we are facing significant difficulties,” he said.

According to the PDF official, the victims included 23 men and two women. Of the 20 injured, about 10 are reported to be in critical condition.

The site of the attack is a key transit point for goods bound for Arakan State. An Arakanese trader currently in Mindon told DMG that most of the victims were merchants and travelers heading to or from Arakan State.

“More than 20 Arakanese merchants were killed in yesterday’s airstrike. We do not yet have their exact names. Because of this brutal attack, one of the main supply routes for Arakan State has been cut off,” the trader said.

The location served as a central hub for merchants transporting goods into Arakan State, which has faced tight trade restrictions imposed by the military regime. Arakanese traders have relied on alternative and often dangerous routes to maintain the flow of essential goods.

Local residents said the military regime has been conducting clearance operations and burning villages in western Mindon Township since January, contributing to heightened instability in the area.