Newborn among at least 15 killed in Myanmar military strikes, groups say

A week-old baby girl was killed on Sunday, 1 November, when an air strike hit a makeshift clinic and maternity ward in Mrauk-U, in western Rakhine State, Myanmar. She "was due to return home the following day" but was "crushed and killed when the building collapsed from the blast," said Wai Hun Aung, an aid worker based in Mrauk-U. She has a surviving twin.

She was among at least 15 people killed in Myanmar military strikes over the weekend, Reuters reported on Monday, 2 November. It cited an ethnic armed group, an aid worker and rights monitors. A day earlier, a strike had hit a school in Loikaw, in Kayah State. A spokesperson for the military-backed government did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment.

Two days, two states

Saturday, 31 October. An air strike hit a school in Loikaw, in eastern Kayah State near the Thai border, "during classes," Reuters reported. The Karenni Human Rights Group (KnHRG) said three students were killed and five wounded. The group and Banyar Khun Aung, secretary of the Karenni Interim Executive Council, an opposition body, said a Y-12 transport aircraft and a fighter jet dropped more than 20 bombs on the school. He said there were no military movements or clashes in the area. He called the attack "an inhumane act that amounts to a war crime." That is his characterisation, not a legal finding. Anadolu Agency, citing local media, reported three children killed and eight injured. It said they had gathered for a nutrition programme during a holiday.

Sunday, 1 November. Air strikes hit four Rakhine townships: Kyauktaw, Kyaukpyu, Pauktaw and Mrauk-U. Reuters listed the targets as "a bridge in Kyauktaw, locations in Kyaukpyu and Pauktaw, and a makeshift clinic and maternity ward in Arakan Army-held Mrauk-U." The Arakan Army (AA) is an ethnic armed group fighting the military. An AA spokesperson and an aid worker put the toll at at least 12 killed and 32 wounded. Wai Hun Aung said four other people, including healthcare workers, died at the clinic. The reports do not say whether those deaths are part of the 12.

The claims come from a party to the war, an aid worker and rights monitors. No independent verification had been reported by Monday.

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Thailand's border and what to watch

Thai fighter jets have been flying air patrols as the conflict spills over the border, Reuters reported. Thailand's government said homes were damaged and at least one person was injured on the Thai side. Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said his government has urged Myanmar to exercise caution so the situation does not affect Thailand.

Rakhine is also home to a large Rohingya population. Anadolu describes them as a mostly Muslim minority that has faced persecution by the military and other armed groups. The reports on the weekend strikes do not link them to Rohingya victims.

Three questions are open. Will the government respond to the allegations? Will anyone verify the tolls independently? And will outside engagement, from Washington, Beijing, Delhi, Bangkok and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), carry any leverage over how the air war is fought? As of 2 November, none of the reports describes such leverage.