At least nine people have been killed and at least five others are in critical condition at the Sittwe Hospital after an explosion near an intersection on Min Bar Gyi Road in the Arakan State capital Sittwe on Friday.
Fighting between the Arakan Army (AA) and the military intensified after two regime outposts, located near the Regional Operations Command (ROC) headquarters in Sittwe, were seized on Oct. 11.
“The explosion happened in a very crowded area, which is why there were so many casualties,” a Sittwe resident told DVB. “We still do not know exactly who was responsible.”
A Myanmar Air Force fighter jet was spotted flying over Sittwe before the explosion occurred, according to residents. It remains unclear who was responsible for the blast or whether it was caused by an airstrike, artillery, or an explosive device.
Neither the regime nor the AA has released a statement. This comes as fighting between the Myanmar military and the AA continues to escalate in Sittwe Township since Sept. 4.
The AA has also been fighting regime forces for control of Military Engineering Battalion 908 in Sittwe’s Kyarmathauk village, four miles (6.4 km) north of the ROC headquarters and the Amyintkyun village police station, 12 miles (19 km) north of Sittwe town, since Oct. 11.
The AA has seized 14 of Arakan’s 17 townships, as well as Paletwa Township in neighbouring Chin State. Sittwe, Kyaukphyu and Manaung remain under regime control. The AA has expanded its offensive into neighboring Bago, Magway and Ayeyarwady regions.
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