ANKARA

Myanmar's military denied killing civilians in a recent airstrike on a hospital in Rakhine state that left more than 30 people dead, state-run media reported on Saturday.

The military junta said in a statement that the general hospital in Mrauk-U, located in western Rakhine state near the Bangladesh border, was officially closed by the government in July 2024 after the Arakan Army (AA) took control of the area following the retreat of security forces due to heavy clashes, according to the daily Global New Light of Myanmar.

"The AA terrorists took shelter in that hospital and established their camp, taking advantage of the hospital’s appearance for cover," the statement said.

The Arakan Army (AA), formed in 2009, is a Buddhist ethnic insurgent group from Myanmar's Rakhine State.

The military confirmed that it targeted the building in the recent airstrike, claiming it was being used by the AA and other groups as a base camp.

"Those killed or injured were not civilians, but terrorists and their supporters," the junta said.

On Wednesday, at least 33 people were killed and 76 injured, including 27 in critical condition, after junta forces bombed a public hospital building in Mrauk-U township in Rakhine State.

The UN condemned the airstrike on Thursday. UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said: "The World Health Organization reports that this is the 67th verified attack on health facilities in Myanmar this year."

Bangladesh condemns bombing

Meanwhile, in a statement, the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry on Saturday condemned the bombing of the hospital and expressed concern over the recent increase in violations of international humanitarian law and violence in the Rakhine State.

Bangladesh also underscored the importance of protecting civilians and civilian facilities without distinctions, emphasizing that all communities, including Rohingya and Rakhine, should be spared from violence.

Ethnic clashes have intensified Myanmar’s humanitarian crisis as the country remains engulfed in civil conflict nearly four years after the February 2021 military coup.

The 2021 military takeover ousted the elected government led by Aung San Suu Kyi's National League of Democracy, and plunged the country into more than four years of emergency rule.

In July, the military announced a nominal transfer of power to a civilian-led interim administration ahead of planned elections in December and January, although the junta chief remains the acting president.

More than 6,000 people have since been killed and nearly 3 million displaced due to fighting between the junta and opposition groups, according to rights monitors.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid and SM Najmus Sakib