Junta launches heavy airstrikes on Maungdaw border area

By Admin 02 Jul 2026

DMG Newsroom

2 July 2026, Maungdaw

The Myanmar military junta launched a heavy aerial assault using jet fighters and Y-12 aircraft on Maungdaw and surrounding areas late Wednesday night, local sources reported.

Witnesses said the aircraft dropped more than 10 high payload bombs at around 10:00 PM on July 1, targeting areas near the main entrance arch of Maungdaw Town, the 3rd-Mile junction, and the Border Guard Police Battalion No. 5 (BGP 5) compound.

"The first attack involved two jet fighters striking the town entrance area," a local resident said. "Later strikes hit several highway points near the 3 Mile area and the nearby BGP base, with support from a Y-12 aircraft. We counted more than 10 explosions."

Damage assessments and information on possible casualties are still being collected by local monitoring groups.

The attack follows a June 24 junta airstrike near the former Ethnic Youth Development School in Maungdaw, which wounded two women.

"The junta has continued bombing Maungdaw in recent days, causing widespread fear," another resident said. "Many families are leaving urban areas for rural villages. These attacks came just as border trade activities had begun to resume."

The Arakan Army took full control of Maungdaw Town on December 8, 2024, consolidating its positions along the Myanmar Bangladesh border.

The latest air offensive comes after a July 1 strike by junta aircraft on Kyetmauktaung Village in Buthidaung Township, which injured a 50-year-old civilian man and two children and destroyed nearly 10 houses.

Junta forces have continued frequent air operations targeting civilian populated areas across the Buthidaung and Maungdaw border areas, according to local sources.