Ethnic rebel from India among junta forces captured in northern Myanmar

Anti-regime forces took seven prisoners, including a member of an Indian separatist group, during a clash with a junta column in Sagaing Region’s Kale Township earlier this month, according to the National Unity Government (NUG). The clash took place on September 2 as the column of around 130 troops was advancing on Nan Saung Pu, a village about 14 miles north of the town of Kale, the NUG’s Military Region 1 command said in a statement. The column consisted of junta soldiers, troops from the Shanni Nationalities Army—an ethnic armed group based in Myanmar and aligned with the country’s military regime—and members of two ethnic insurgent groups from India, the statement said. At least one of the captured prisoners was an ethnic Meitei man from the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA), a group fighting for the independence of the Indian state of Assam, it added. India’s military carried out drone attacks on ULFA camps in northern Myanmar last month, killing three of its leaders, the group claimed in statements released at the time. Resistance forces said they recovered four bodies, five firearms, narcotics, and the driver’s license of an Indian national following the battle near Nan Saung Pu. Despite its close relationship with the Indian government, Myanmar’s military regime has teamed up with separatist forces from India to launch attacks on groups opposed to its rule, according to the NUG. In Tamu Township, north of Kale, hundreds of Meitei fighters have reportedly joined junta units in recent fighting. According to resistance sources, a Meitei fighter was captured during a clash in Nanmuntar, a village in Tamu Township, in October 2024. The regime has been launching offensives against resistance forces from both Kale and Tamu in recent months, with clashes occurring nearly every day, according to locals. Anti-regime groups took control of Khampat, a town along the Kale-Tamu Asian Highway, in late 2023 and have dominated the area since then. “Their main strength comes from Meitei fighters, as most junta soldiers avoid fighting. The junta relies heavily on Meitei troops to carry out attacks along the Kale-Tamu Asian Highway,” said a local resident.

Ethnic rebel from India among junta forces captured in northern Myanmar

The regime has reportedly deployed hundreds of ethnic Meitei separatists from India in its attacks on resistance forces in border areas of Sagaing Region

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