Myanmar junta, Chin resistance forces engage in fierce clashes near Chin State capital

Chin resistance forces say that intense fighting has broken out in the area between Chin State’s capital Hakha and the town of Thantlang since last weekend. The clashes began on Saturday, when junta forces left Hakha and formed into two columns to carry out attacks along the road to Thantlang, less than 25 miles to the west. Battles were still taking place as of Thursday morning, sources told Myanmar Now. In addition to its ground operations, the military has also been firing artillery from Hakha and carrying out airstrikes, according to a spokesperson for the Chinland Defense Force-Thantlang (CDF-Thantlang), one of the groups engaged in the fighting. “Last night, two jet fighters came and conducted airstrikes, but there have been none so far this morning. Since close combat is still ongoing, it’s not convenient to say much more,” the spokesperson said early Thursday. Chin resistance forces say they have been hit by hundreds of airstrikes since they began attacking junta camps between Hakha and Thantlang on July 22. The current counteroffensive has reportedly forced them to withdraw from one of their own camps in the area. There have also been reports of casualties among the Chin forces, including CDF-Zotung second in command Salai Tun Mang and platoon commander Salai Ah Lian. CDF-Thantlang leader Salai Ram Zel, who was killed by junta artillery fire on October 12 (CDF-Thantlang) According to the CDF-Thantlang spokesperson, the regime appears to be intensifying its efforts in the area to prevent the fall of Thantlang, a town that has been heavily contested by the two sides since September 2021. “If we can capture Thantlang, we have plans and potential to capture Hakha next, so now they are desperately doing whatever they can to defend Hakha. Strategically, the area between Hakha and Thantlang is quite important for this purpose,” he said. The regime currently controls only two positions in Thantlang—the town’s police station and the local office of Myanmar’s ousted ruling party, the National League for Democracy (NLD). On Saturday, while preparing for an attack on the former NLD office, two CDF-Thantlang fighters, including the group’s leader Salai Ram Zel, were reportedly killed by junta artillery fire. Regime forces have destroyed more than a thousand homes and other buildings, including century-old churches, over the past three years as they attempt to prevent the town falling to the resistance. More than 10,000 inhabitants of the town have fled to the nearby Indian border or other villages to escape the fighting. The Chin National Army, the oldest of the Chin armed groups fighting the regime, has captured four towns along the India-Myanmar border—Rikhawdar, Lalengpi, Rezua and Tonzang. The Chin Brotherhood Alliance, a coalition of several Chin resistance groups, has captured the towns of Kyin Dway and Matupi, while the Arakan Army controls Paletwa in the state’s south.

Myanmar junta, Chin resistance forces engage in fierce clashes near Chin State capital

Several Chin commanders have reportedly been killed in the fighting as the regime steps up its efforts to defend the capital, Hakha

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