Resistance forces in Chin State have seized a junta base in Rihkawdar, Falam Township, a hub for border trade with India, according to the Chin National Front (CNF).
Resistance fighters of the CNF’s Chin National Army (CNA), the Chin Defense Force and its Thantlang drone team attacked around 60 soldiers stationed in the camp at 11 pm on Sunday.
After inflicting heavy casualties, they finally occupied the camp at 6 am on Monday, CNF spokesperson Salai Htet Ni told The Irrawaddy.
“The terrain made it difficult for us, so the fighting was fierce,” he said.
A junta fighter jet that attacked during the battle reportedly caused casualties among Chin resistance forces, but details are still unknown.
“We took soldiers prisoner and seized both heavy and small weapons,” Salai Htet Ni said.
The combined resistance force is now attacking another military base in the same town.
The fierce fighting has forced thousands of residents to flee Rihkawdar. Some were wounded when the junta shelled a refugee camp in India, according to locals.
The Irrawaddy could not independently verify the reports.
Salai Htet Ni said the ethnic armed organizations were working with people’s defense forces (PDFs) to root out the military dictatorship. They would continue their attacks to further weaken the military, he added.
Resistance forces have now seized border towns on both sides of the country after the offensive, known as Operation 1027, was launched by the ethnic Brotherhood Alliance on Oct. 27. The alliance, comprising the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and the Arakan Army (AA), has seized dozens of townships in northern Shan State on the border with China.
The resistance offensive has also spread to upper Sagaing Region, where the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), AA and PDFs seized the district-level town of Kawlin on November 6. Elsewhere, Karenni resistance forces launched Operation 1107 in support of the offensive, attacking junta bases in Kayah State’s Loikaw and Mese and southern Shan’s Moebye town.
Last Tuesday, the trade town of Khampat on the Indian border in Tamu Township was seized in a coordinated attack by the Chin Nationalities Defense Force, KIA and PDFs.
