On Saturday, 27 December 2025, around 11:00 pm, explosions were confirmed in Maungdaw Township and surrounding areas. Flight tracking data indicates the presence of an aerial vehicle in the vicinity at the same time, and available information strongly suggests that the incident involved airstrikes, likely conducted using a Y-12 aircraft. The activity reflects a marked increase in Tatmadaw operations, with the conflict intensifying around the election period, corroborated by multiple reports of airstrikes and armed clashes in the region.
On the night of 27 December 2025, explosions and sustained gunfire were reported originating from Maungdaw Township in Rakhine State, Myanmar, with multiple Bangladeshi media outlets identifying the epicenter as areas approximately 13 km inside Myanmar, particularly around Bolibazar (also spelled Balibazar). Prothom Alo reported that the blasts were visible near Bolibazar, located about 15 km southeast of border pillar BRM-18 and around 13 km from the zero line, an area said by local sources to host an Arakan Army headquarters, while the shockwaves were felt across the border in Whaikyang and Hnila unions of Teknaf, Palongkhali and Rajapalong in Ukhiya, and Ghumdhum in Naikhongchhari. Bangladesh Pratidin similarly identified the explosions as occurring 13 km inside Myanmar in the Bolibazar area, causing houses in Whaikyang and Hnila to shake.
The Territorial News expanded the affected Bangladeshi locations, reporting audible explosions in the Ulubonia, Kharangkhali, Whaikyang, Lombabil, and Techhi Bridge areas of Teknaf; Anjuman Para, Nalbonia, Rahmater Bil, and Dhamankhali in Ukhiya; and Ghumdhum, Tumbru, Pathorkata, and Chakma Para in Naikhongchhari. According to Daily Inqilab, continuous gunfire and mortar shell explosions from midnight originated from Maungdaw Township opposite Hnila and Whaikyang, while Daily Ittefaq placed the timing of the blasts between 10:38 pm and 10:55 pm, heard across at least 15 border villages, again tracing the source to Bolibazar, Maungdaw.
Reporting on the air component, The Daily Star stated that two Myanmar fighter jets bombed Balibazar and Naitong villages near Maungdaw, following which the Arakan Army instructed roughly 250 Rohingya families to relocate, while Narinjara News provided specific strike details, stating that a Y-12 aircraft dropped bombs around 11:00 pm on Kyein Chaung Village and the Ngan Chaung area of Maungdaw Township, targeting former Border Guard Police (Nakhaka-7) camps, damaging at least five houses. [Sources: Bangladesh Pratidin; The Territorial News; Prothom Alo; Narinjara News; The Daily Ittefaq; The Daily Star; Daily Inqilab]
The media sources consistently confirm that the explosions occurred on Saturday night, 27 December 2025, with reported timings clustering around 10:30 pm to shortly after 11:00 pm, followed by intermittent blasts into the early hours of Sunday, 28 December. Prothom Alo reported that residents heard mortar shells and bomb explosions from around 11:00 pm on Saturday until approximately 3:00 am on Sunday, while also noting that explosions and gunfire continued throughout Saturday night along the Cox’s Bazar–Bandarban border. Bangladesh Pratidin stated that loud explosions were heard from around 11:00 pm on Saturday night, with powerful blasts felt across border areas the same night. The Territorial News gave a narrower window, reporting that locals heard multiple loud explosions between 10:50 pm and 11:10 pm, while journalist Jahangir Alam noted repeated explosions beginning around 10:30 pm.
Daily Inqilab reported three successive powerful explosions at approximately 10:30 pm, followed by continuous gunfire and mortar shell explosions from midnight onward into Sunday morning, with residents reporting heavy gunfire throughout the night. Daily Ittefaq cited border residents and the BGB Ukhiya Battalion commander, stating that explosions occurred between 10:38 pm and 10:55 pm, with repeated blasts heard at three- to four-minute intervals around 11:00 pm; the paper also cited Rohingya videographer Sahat Zia Hero, who confirmed airstrikes in northern Maungdaw on Saturday night.
The Daily Campus similarly reported three powerful explosions occurring after 10:30 pm on Saturday night, while The Daily Star stated that repeated explosions occurred around 11:00 pm, attributing the bombardment to two Myanmar fighter jets. Narinjara News reported that a Y-12 aircraft dropped three 500-pound bombs at approximately 11:00 pm on 27 December, causing immediate panic among residents. Myanmar Now later reported that airstrikes and artillery attacks continued into Sunday morning, following overnight assaults. [Sources: Bangladesh Pratidin; The Territorial News; The Daily Campus; Prothom Alo; Narinjara News; The Daily Ittefaq; Myanmar Now; The Daily Star; Daily Inqilab]
Myanmar’s military junta conducted these coordinated airstrikes and heavy artillery attacks in northern Maungdaw and the Bolibazar area of Rakhine State, targeting positions held by the Arakan Army (AA), which currently controls most of Maungdaw Township, according to Prothom Alo. The same outlet reported that AA forces engaged in armed clashes with junta units following the aerial attacks. Narinjara News stated that the Myanmar Air Force deployed fighter jets and a Chinese-made Y-12 aircraft, striking former Border Guard Police (Nakhaka-7) camps in Kyin Chaung Village and Ngan Chaung, which were under AA control, while The Daily Ittefaq, citing Rakhine-based media, reported at least three separate aerial bombardments on Kyaw Chaung Division and Gan Chaung Battalion areas in northern Maungdaw.
Providing broader operational context, Myanmar Now reported that the junta used Y-12 aircraft and paramotors to drop bombs across multiple townships during the election period, while Mizzima, citing military sources and defectors, stated that the junta increasingly relies on Y-12 aircraft for low-cost bombing operations, including the use of mortar rounds and cluster munitions against resistance-held areas. Civilians in Bolibazar witnessed intense explosions near an area reportedly hosting an AA headquarters, according to Prothom Alo. Narinjara News reported that five civilian houses were damaged in Kyin Chaung and Ngan Chaung, forcing residents to seek shelter throughout the night amid repeated explosions and widespread panic.
Local Rakhine media cited by Ittefaq reported widespread disruption to civilian life following strikes on AA-controlled areas, though no immediate casualties were confirmed. Daily Inqilab further reported that communities across Maungdaw Township remain under sustained threat as the junta attempts to retake territory previously seized by the Arakan Army. [Sources: Prothom Alo; Narinjara News; The Daily Ittefaq; Myanmar Now; Mizzima; The Daily Star; Daily Inqilab]
Image Source: Narinjara News
In the early post-coup period, Myanmar’s military maintained highly centralized control over airstrikes, requiring even urgent battlefield requests for aerial support to receive direct approval from junta chief Min Aung Hlaing, a bureaucratic system that frequently delayed or denied air cover and forced ground units to fight unsupported or withdraw. As the regime suffered repeated battlefield defeats and its forces became increasingly overstretched, this model proved unsustainable, prompting a gradual decentralization of airstrike authorization to regional commanders and the integration of air assets into regional command structures, with only large-scale operations now overseen by the Joint Operations Command. Although the Myanmar Air Force continues to employ light attack and fighter aircraft such as the Yak-130, K-8, FTC-2000G, and, when available, more advanced platforms including the JF-17, MiG-29, and F-7, growing reliance on Chinese-made Y-12 transport aircraft, and even paramotors, for bombing missions signals acute operational strain. Originally designed for training, transport, and parachuting, Y-12s have reportedly been modified to drop munitions manually from rear doors, reflecting shortages of dedicated attack aircraft, munitions attrition, maintenance constraints, and sanctions-driven procurement failures. While these slow, lightly powered turboprops offer limited precision and are highly vulnerable, their expanded combat use underscores mounting strategic desperation, with the junta resorting to improvised, high-risk aerial strike methods to sustain pressure on resistance-held territory amid dwindling airpower resources. [Sources: Irrawaddy; Burma News International]
Resistance groups have successfully downed multiple aircraft, including an incident in Pale Township, Sagaing Region, where the People’s Liberation Army claimed to have shot down a junta fighter jet using a .50-caliber M2 Browning machine gun as it flew at low altitude, marking at least the tenth regime aircraft lost since the coup, and a separate 20 May engagement in which the Kachin Independence Army and allied forces destroyed two junta transport helicopters near Bhamo using suicide drones and ground fire. These incidents reflect a broader trend in which low-flying, slow, and lightly protected aircraft are increasingly exploited by resistance forces equipped with heavy machine guns, drones, and, in some cases, man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS), including Chinese-made FN-6 missiles reportedly held by groups such as the KIA, TNLA, and UWSA, capabilities that have already forced junta pilots to operate at higher altitudes. In this context, the military’s growing reliance on slow, low-altitude Y-12 utility aircraft for bombing missions represents a critical risk: lacking defensive countermeasures and highly vulnerable to MANPADS, such aircraft would face substantial shoot-down risk in areas where forces like the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force operate, underscoring that the junta’s turn to Y-12s reflects not only aircraft shortages and attrition but also mounting strategic desperation amid increasing exposure to resistance fire. If the Arakan Army were to acquire and effectively employ such air-defense capabilities, it would fundamentally undermine the Tatmadaw’s remaining ability to project airpower in western Myanmar. [Sources: Irrawaddy; Irrawaddy]
In order to investigate further, an aircraft was tracked on Flightradar24 from 16:24 to 17:12 UTC, corresponding to 22:24–23:12 Bangladesh time (UTC+6) and 22:54–23:42 Myanmar time (UTC+6:30) on 27 December 2025. During this period, the plane was observed near the areas of reported explosions in Maungdaw and Bolibazar, Rakhine State, Myanmar, aligning closely with the timing of the airstrikes documented in multiple media reports. Notably, the flight lacked an identifying number, with both the flight and landing unspecified, and the barometric altitude was recorded at 15,100 feet. The combination of the aircraft’s location, timing, and atypical flight characteristics suggests a potentially suspicious movement coinciding with the reported aerial bombardments. Source: Flightradar24.
Communities residing in border areas should be proactively educated and prepared to mitigate the risks posed by cross-border conflict, such as bombings, shelling, and landmines, thereby reducing potential threats to life and property.
Verification Note: The information in this report has been compiled from multiple credible sources and cross-checked for consistency. Data and reports have been used to corroborate events where possible. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, access limitations may prevent independent verification of all details.
Ahsan Tajwar is a Security and Strategic Reporting Fellow at the Bangladesh Defence Journal. His work focuses on law enforcement, transnational crime, organized trafficking networks, and cross-border security dynamics. He is currently pursuing a B.S.S. in Criminology and is involved with DUMUNA. His analysis relies heavily on an academic approach, with particular emphasis on their socio-cultural dimensions.