Around 500 villagers fled their homes in Arakan Army (AA)-controlled Ann Township, Arakan (Rakhine State), after the junta carried out an airstrike on an AA detention center in Dahletchang Village.
On March 8, the junta launched a heavy air assault on the AA’s detention facility in Dahletchaung, using four fighter jets and four Y-12 utility aircraft from 11:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., the AA reported. The attack killed 116 detainees—including many junta troops and officers held as prisoners of war (PoWs)—as well as some civilians, and seriously injured 32, according to the AA.
After the attack, nearly 500 residents from Dahletchaung and two nearby villages fled, fearing further airstrikes, an Ann resident said.
“During the airstrike, the junta dropped hundreds of bombs. It was a shocking and brutal attack. The locals panicked and ran from their homes,” he told DMG.
The Dahletchaung Village Tract comprises about 40 villages and hamlets, mostly inhabited by Chin people who rely on terrace farming for their livelihood.
As the junta escalates airstrikes in Arakan State, it increasingly targets not only civilian areas but also PoW detention centers holding its own troops. Additionally, the junta frequently drops large quantities of high-explosive bombs in its airstrikes, causing mass casualties.
“The bombing of Dahletchaung Village shows just how brutal and merciless the junta is. So many lives have been lost. They’ve even killed their own troops, showing they don’t spare anyone. All the junta cares about is carrying out more airstrikes on the AA, without any thought for the safety of their own soldiers,” an Arakan human rights activist said.
The attack on the Dahletchaung Village PoW detention center killed several high-ranking junta officials, numerous junta troops, and some civilians, according to the AA’s statement.
In Arakan State, the junta has already conducted six airstrikes on five AA detention facilities, killing nearly 200 people and injuring more than 100.
The AA has urged residents to remain on high alert as the junta increases the scale and frequency of its airstrikes in Arakan State.
