Two women killed, driver injured as ARSA fires on passenger van

By Admin 22 Oct 2025

DMG Newsroom

22 October 2025, Rathedaung

Two women were killed and a male driver wounded when a passenger van traveling the Mayu mountain road between Kyauk Pandu (Maungdaw Township) and Zedee Pyin (Rathedaung Township) came under fire from the Muslim armed group Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), according to local residents.

The attack occurred shortly after 1 p.m. on October 22, soon after the scheduled van departed Zedee Pyin for Kyauk Pandu. After gunfire was heard along the mountain road, two female passengers were found dead and the driver injured.

“After we heard the shots, people went to check and found the bodies of two women. The driver was wounded and is receiving treatment. A motorcyclist who happened to be on the road at the same time and was also fired upon is still missing,” said a man from Rathedaung.

The injured driver was identified as Ko Htun Win, 37. A male assistant in the van and two other men (names still being confirmed) reportedly fled the scene. The deceased women are believed to be one resident of Kyauk Pandu and one from Maungdaw Township; their identities, as well as details of the missing motorcyclist, are being verified.

“Around 3 p.m. we again heard gunfire from the Mayu hills. Families of those unaccounted for, and villagers here, are very worried,” said a woman from Kyauk Pandu.

DMG is continuing to investigate and will publish further details as they become available.

Residents say armed Muslim groups have recently increased attacks on civilians in Maungdaw, Buthidaung, and Rathedaung townships, heightening public anxiety. “This road is heavily used by people from Rathedaung, Buthidaung and Maungdaw. With incidents like this, everyone is on edge. We need tighter security,” said a woman from Rathedaung.

On October 21, ARSA gunmen opened fire on two civilians returning to Nanthar Taung in Maungdaw Township, killing one and injuring the other.

According to the Arakan Army (AA), ARSA members have established camps along the Arakan–Bangladesh frontier and inside Bangladesh, infiltrating into Arakan/Rakhine to fire on AA positions and to carry out abductions and killings of civilians.