Mindat under attack as Myanmar regime intensifies southern Chin State offensive

Myanmar’s military has intensified its airstrikes in southern Chin State’s Mindat Township, forcing thousands of civilians to flee amid an ongoing junta ground offensive, according to residents and local resistance groups. The regime carried out multiple airstrikes on the town of Mindat on Sunday, striking residential areas and destroying homes, sources said. Additional attacks were reported Monday, when fighter jets dropped several bombs on the eastern part of the town, while a Y-12 aircraft also conducted bombing runs. “Yesterday, the town was bombarded continuously,” one resident said on Monday. “Today, the strikes are hitting just outside the town.” Local residents estimated that at least 10 houses were destroyed during Sunday’s attacks. The airstrikes come as the military has deployed more than 2,000 troops in an effort to retake territory controlled by resistance forces in Mindat and neighbouring Kanpetlet Township. Fighting between junta forces and resistance groups has intensified since mid-May, according to the Chin People’s Union/Chin People’s Army, an alliance of anti-junta forces operating in the area. Residents also accused advancing military columns of killing civilians during the offensive. Last week, junta troops moving toward Mindat from Kyaukhtu in neighbouring Magway Region reportedly detained a 16-year-old boy and a man in his 60s in the village of Htinchaung. Both were later found dead. Local residents disputed military claims that the two were members of a resistance group, saying they were merely civilians who encountered troops while entering the village. “They crossed paths with the military column without knowing it had entered the area,” one resident said. “Relatives only learned of their deaths after military-linked Telegram channels posted photos claiming they were resistance fighters.” The escalation has triggered a growing displacement crisis. According to the Mindat Township Displaced Persons Management Committee, more than 17,000 residents from the town of Mindat and surrounding villages have fled to forests, neighbouring communities, and other areas perceived as safer. Lawrence, a coordinator with the displacement committee, said repeated airstrikes have left residents fearful of remaining in their homes. “Some villages have been bombed three or four times,” he told Myanmar Now. “People are afraid to stay. They don’t gather in groups, turn on lights at night, or even open windows. Some are living entirely in bunkers.” Displaced residents are also facing rising living costs and food shortages, he said. Many rural families rely on crops grown on their own land, but ongoing insecurity has disrupted farming and access to markets. The committee said that of 766 deaths recorded in Mindat Township between the military’s 2021 takeover and the end of 2024, most were linked to shortages of medicine and untreated chronic illnesses. Southern Chin State has become a stronghold of anti-junta forces since late 2024, when the Chin Brotherhood captured Mindat, Kanpetlet, and Matupi townships. Paletwa Township, also in the south, is under the control of their ally, the Arakan Army. Since recapturing Falam and Tonzang in northern Chin State earlier this year, the junta has launched new operations aimed at regaining territory in the south, leading to fierce clashes across the region.

Mindat under attack as Myanmar regime intensifies southern Chin State offensive

The resistance-held town is hit repeatedly by airstrikes as thousands of villagers flee advancing junta ground troops

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