Sat Dec 13 07:31:07 UTC 2025: Here’s a summary of the text followed by a news article based on it:
Summary:
Myanmar’s military has admitted to conducting an airstrike on a hospital in Rakhine state, claiming it targeted armed opposition groups using the facility as a base. However, witnesses, aid workers, the UN, and rebel groups state that the victims were civilians – patients, medical staff, and their families. The UN has condemned the attack, potentially amounting to a war crime, and is calling for investigations. This incident is part of a larger pattern of violence amidst ongoing civil war in Myanmar. The Arakan Army, who now control Mrauk-U (where the hospital was located), has vowed to seek accountability. The airstrike comes as the military government is planning elections that opponents believe are designed to legitimize their power.
News Article:
Myanmar Military Admits Airstrike on Rakhine Hospital, UN Condemns Potential War Crime
MRAUK-U, Rakhine State – Myanmar’s military has acknowledged carrying out an airstrike on a hospital in Mrauk-U township, Rakhine state, on Wednesday, resulting in the deaths of at least 33 people. While the military claims the targeted facility was being used as a base by armed opposition groups, including the Arakan Army (AA) and People’s Defence Force (PDF), witnesses, aid organizations, the UN, and the AA itself assert that the victims were primarily civilians: patients, medical personnel, and their family members.
“The military’s information office stated that they carried out necessary security measures and launched a counterterrorism operation,” according to a report published in the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar.
The United Nations has strongly condemned the attack, with UN rights chief Volker Turk stating that such actions “may amount to a war crime.” He called for immediate investigations and demanded those responsible be held accountable. World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus expressed his dismay, noting that hospital infrastructure was severely damaged, including operating rooms and the main inpatient ward.
“At least 33 people have been killed … including health workers, patients and family members,” he wrote on X.
The Arakan Army, which captured Mrauk-U in February, has vowed to cooperate with international organizations to ensure justice for the victims and promised “strong and decisive action” against the military.
This incident occurs amidst a broader, escalating civil war in Myanmar, following the military’s seizure of power in 2021. The military has intensified airstrikes as the country prepares for elections scheduled for December 28, which opponents denounce as an attempt to legitimize military rule. The AA began their offensive in Rakhine in November 2023 and has seized a strategically important regional army headquarters and 14 of Rakhine’s 17 townships
Rakhine state has a history of ethnic tension, including a brutal 2017 military operation that forced hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims to flee to Bangladesh.
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