Resistance fighters in Chin State teamed up with rebels from the Chin National Army (CNA) last week to overrun a military outpost near Myanmar’s border with India, killing 12 junta soldiers in the attack.
About 200 fighters from the CNA and the Chinland Defence Force (CDF), which was formed by civilians who took up arms after the February coup, raided the outpost in Lungler village, Thantlang Township, on Friday, a CDF spokesperson said.
But the military sent a fighter jet to bombard the newly occupied base, forcing the fighters to retreat. The coalition then gathered more fighters and attacked the base again the following evening with a force of around 400.
“We decided to attack the base again at night so that there wouldn’t be an air raid,” the spokesperson said. The battle lasted for around 90 minutes, he added. “We managed to occupy the base by 10pm.”
The coalition suffered eight injuries but no deaths, according to the spokesperson, who added that the fighters seized weapons and ammunition from the outpost before burning it down.
The attack came after the CDF ambushed junta soldiers who were inspecting houses and harassing civilians in Thantlang on Thursday. The CDF said it killed two junta soldiers in that attack.
It is unclear how many soldiers were stationed at the Lungler base. The CDF spokesperson said that five troops deserted the post and fled to India two weeks before the attack, but Myanmar Now was unable to verify this.
On Friday, junta soldiers fired shells into Lungler village, which has about 100 houses, said the spokesperson. The villagers had already fled across the border to Mizoram two days earlier following a separate clash in the area, he added.
A military fighter jet was seen flying over the village on Sunday, he said.
Last week the underground National Unity Government declared a “resistance war” against the junta and urged people across the country to support the fight in any way they could.
