As severe flooding continues to inundate parts of Myanmar's Ayeyarwady Region, military junta airstrikes have killed two displaced brothers who had fled fighting in neighboring Rakhine (Arakan) State, according to local sources.
The victims, identified as 40-year-old Ko Nga Soe and 30-year-old Ko Hla Htwe, had fled Gwa Township in southern Rakhine State to seek refuge in Thaephyu Village, located in Ayeyarwady's Thabaung Township.
Both were killed on August 5 when a junta airstrike struck the village directly, damaging several civilian homes.
"A junta airstrike killed two brothers from Gwa who were sheltering in Thaephyu Village," a source from nearby Yegyi Township told Network Media Group (NMG). "In the following days, military jets continued bombing forested areas along the Yegyi–Thabaung border and the foothills of the Arakan Yoma mountain range. Intense fighting occurred almost daily."
Heavy clashes broke out between the junta military and the Arakan Army (AA) from August 5 to 9 across forested border zones and near Thaephyu and Thabaungkalay villages.
Local reports indicate the regime turned to indiscriminate airstrikes and heavy artillery shelling after suffering tactical setbacks on the ground.
In early August, AA forces intercepted junta troops near Thabaungkalay Village, seizing weapons and ammunition and effectively halting military advances.
"Junta troops are increasingly resorting to airstrikes and heavy artillery around Thabaungkalay and Thaephyu villages," a Thabaung resident said. "However, the AA has successfully intercepted their movements, preventing any ground advances."
The clashes stem from a major junta effort to launch counteroffensives into AA-controlled territory in southern Rakhine State.
To push through the Arakan Yoma mountain range, the regime has deployed huge reinforcements—including troops from the Southwest Regional Military Command and Light Infantry Battalions 1 and 11 under Light Infantry Division 66—across Ingapu, Lemyethna, Yegyi, and Thabaung Townships.
Despite these deployments, the AA continues to hold several key strategic military positions across the region.
The escalating military violence coincides with a humanitarian crisis in the region caused by widespread flooding.
Amid the severe environmental displacement and ongoing military strikes on civilian areas, high-ranking junta officials visited the region.
Regime deputy leader Nyo Saw visited the regional capital of Pathein on August 5, while junta leader Min Aung Hlaing conducted helicopter inspections of flood-damaged areas across Pathein, Hinthada, and Maubin Townships on August 8.
