At least 33 civilians have been killed and 78 others wounded in a wave of Myanmar military airstrikes targeting opposition-held areas in Rakhine State and neighboring Chin State this month, according to data compiled by local news outlet DMG.

Between August 2 and August 24, relentless aerial bombardments struck territories controlled by the Arakan Army (AA), pushing total civilian casualties in August past 100. Women and children accounted for the majority of those killed or injured.

The heaviest toll was recorded in Thandwe Township, where 19 people were killed and 40 injured. In Gwa Township, eight were killed and nine wounded. In Chin State’s Paletwa Township, six died, and 28 were injured, while one civilian was wounded in Rathedaung Township.

Military analysts and defectors say the regime is increasingly resorting to indiscriminate air attacks to compensate for major ground setbacks.

“Junta forces cannot establish a foothold on the ground in Arakan State,” said Captain Zin Yaw, a military defector. “What is happening here is not mere air support in combat; it is aerial terrorism targeting non-military sites.”

Local sources report a shift in junta tactics, with single operations now involving hundreds of bombs dropped over continuous spans ranging from 20 minutes to more than an hour.

Observers argue that the targeting of civilian population centers is a calculated campaign to pressure the resistance.

“Daily airstrikes naturally create panic,” said local aid worker and writer Wai Hun Aung. “The junta calculates that if the public is terrified, people will bring pressure to bear on the Arakan Army.”

The surge in attacks follows a deadly July, during which junta airstrikes killed 22 civilians and wounded 66 across the region.