Chin resistance forces free 15 detainees from Hakha police station

Chin resistance forces raided a police station in the Chin State capital Hakha early Thursday morning and freed 15 detainees, including five anti-junta fighters, according to the groups involved in the operation. The rescue took place at around 3am, when troops from the Chin National Army (CNA) and the Chinland Defence Force–Hakha (CDF–Hakha) stormed the Myoma Police Station in Hakha’s Zay Haung Ward, CNA spokesperson Salai Htet Ni told Myanmar Now. “We were able to rescue the prisoners and transfer them to a secure location,” he said, adding that two of the prisoners were members of the CNA and three were from CDF–Hakha. It remains unclear how many of the other 10 detainees were political prisoners, he added. A spokesperson for CDF–Hakha said that two prisoners who were held in a separate cell at the police station were not rescued. “We don’t know why they were held there. We intended to rescue all of them, but had to withdraw when reinforcements arrived and their firepower intensified,” he said. According to the Chin resistance forces, six junta troops were killed in the hour-long clash to take control of the police station, and some weapons and ammunition were seized. One CDF-Hakha member was killed and two others were wounded. Following the raid, junta forces stationed in Hakha launched artillery strikes at suspected resistance positions outside the town, according to the CDF-Hakha spokesperson. “They fired heavy weapons from Hakha. So far, they haven’t made any arrests, but they are carrying out security patrols,” he said. The same police station was targeted in July of last year, when 62 political prisoners serving long prison sentences under the Counterterrorism Law were reportedly freed. That raid prompted the regime to strengthen security at the police station, increasing the number of police and soldiers stationed there. Despite these measures, the junta was unable to avert a second successful rescue mission by resistance forces. Groups opposed to the regime have seized control of six out of nine townships in Chin State, with only Hakha, Tedim, and Thantlang still under junta control. The six captured townships are currently administered by resistance authorities. Having lost control of most of the state, the regime has been carrying out a relentless campaign of airstrikes in resistance-held territory, often targeting schools and other civilian infrastructure. In the second week of October, attacks on schools in Hakha and Mindat townships killed six civilians, including five students, and injured more than two dozen others.

Chin resistance forces free 15 detainees from Hakha police station

The rescue mission succeeded despite heightened security at the police station following a similar operation carried out last year

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