Myanmar Air Force bombs Ngapali as airstrikes intensify in Rakhine State

The Myanmar Air Force launched a multi-hour aerial bombardment targeting the coastal tourist town of Ngapali in Arakan State’s Thandwe Township on Monday, forcing residents to take cover as fighter jets circled overhead. The Arakan Army (AA) confirmed the Monday attacks, which targeted multiple locations across the coastal resort area. The strikes represent the latest wave in an escalating air campaign against liberated zones in southern Arakan State. Airstrikes disrupt coastal hotspot as residents take cover Residents in Ngapali reported that military jets carried out repeated bombing runs throughout the day, leaving local communities unable to safely assess casualties or property destruction. “We can’t assess the full extent of the damage or casualties because military jets are still circling overhead,” a Ngapali resident told DVB on the condition of anonymity on Aug. 3. Thandwe Township—located 150 miles (240 km) south of the Arakan State capital, Sittwe—has been under AA administrative control since resistance forces liberated the area in July 2024. Pattern of recent deadly air operations Monday’s strikes follow a series of lethal air raids targeting civilian infrastructure and residential wards across Thandwe Township over the past two weeks: Dual crisis: Bombardments hit flood-ravaged communities The military’s air campaign comes while local communities across Arakan State are struggling to recover from historic monsoon flooding that inundated at least 11 townships—including Thandwe—throughout July. The floods destroyed farmland, contaminated freshwater drinking sources, and swept away residential homes across the region. Despite the environmental crisis, regime forces have sustained daily aerial bombardments across AA-controlled territories. AA territorial control and casualties dashboard Since launching its broader Arakan State offensive in November 2023, the AA has systematically dismantled regime military positions across western Myanmar: According to data released by the AA’s Humanitarian and Development Coordination Office (HDCO), regime air and ground attacks have killed at least 83 civilians and injured 187 others across Arakan during the first six months of 2026, highlighting the severe ongoing human toll on non-combatants.