Strikes on detention sites holding captured military personnel in Myanmar

Myanmar Witness has investigated seven reported Myanmar Air Force airstrikes on sites holding captured military personnel across Rakhine, Shan, and Kayah states between October 2024 and March 2026. Verified footage and satellite imagery show shackled detainees, barred cells, and damage consistent with aerial attacks, with more than 200 people killed or injured across the seven incidents.

Overview

Myanmar Witness has investigated seven possible airstrikes by the Myanmar Air Force (MAF) on sites reportedly holding captured military personnel between 28 October 2024 and 8 March 2026. These sites are located within Rakhine State, Shan State, and Kayah State and were reportedly operated by resistance groups. 

For this report, the term ‘detainee’ describes a member of Myanmar’s government armed forces or organised armed group detained in relation to the ongoing conflict, without implying a prisoner of war status under International Humanitarian Law. 

Myanmar Witness analysed user-generated content (UGC) of the seven incident locations that likely caused the death or injury of more than 200 captured military personnel and other detainees. 

The first incident investigated occurred on 8 March 2026 in Ann Township, Rakhine State. Myanmar Witness verified that the area was likely a site holding captured military personnel based on UGC showing shackles on the ankles of dead and injured individuals, as well as large metal-barred cells near craters at the incident site. 

The remaining six incidents were gathered from the Myanmar Witness database and also show dead and injured captured military personnel and civilians, the presence of metal-barred cells at likely detainee sites, and damage consistent with possible airstrikes since 28 October 2024.

Myanmar Witness geolocated and chronolocated five of the seven locations with high confidence. One additional site was analysed as a likely location, whilst the seventh site could not be verified due to limited UGC. 

None of the seven sites had previously been publicly disclosed as locations where captured military personnel were being detained. Further, Myanmar Witness only identified reports of nearby clashes at one location (Maungdaw Township) when the incident occurred, meaning that the remaining six were more likely to be isolated incidents. Two of the sites were also verified as former military bases that were captured and occupied by Ethnic Armed Organisations (EAOs) and resistance forces.

The table below summarises Myanmar Witness’s findings relating to each reported site holding captured military personnel: