Several students were killed in an alleged military airstrike on two private schools in Rakhine state, Myanmar, according to the Arakan Army (AA) and local media reports.
The conflict in Rakhine is one of several armed struggles ongoing since the military coup of 2021 that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s civilian government.
The AA, an ethnic minority armed group leading a major offensive in Rakhine since late 2023, said the strike hit the village of Thayet Thapin in Kyauktaw township, which it controls.
In a statement posted on Telegram on Saturday, the AA said 19 students aged 15–21 were killed and 22 more wounded.
Local outlets reported higher figures, with Myanmar Now claiming 22 deaths after two 500-pound bombs were dropped just after midnight on Friday.
The schools were identified as Pyinnyar Pan Khinn and A Myin Thit private high schools.
Communications blackouts in the area mean the claims cannot be independently verified.
The military has not issued any statement regarding an attack in Kyauktaw.
UNICEF condemned the incident as a “brutal attack” and part of a broader pattern of violence in Rakhine, stressing that children and families are paying “the ultimate price.”
Rights groups and international monitors have repeatedly accused Myanmar’s armed forces of indiscriminate attacks on civilians in contested areas.
The AA has seized significant territory in Rakhine over the past two years, including 14 of the state’s 17 townships and a key regional army headquarters.
Rakhine was also the scene of the military’s 2017 campaign against Rohingya Muslims, which forced more than 740,000 people to flee to Bangladesh.
Since the 2021 coup, over 7,200 people have been killed nationwide by security forces, according to monitoring groups, as the junta struggles to contain uprisings across Myanmar.