A Myanmar junta captain and lieutenant were killed when their fighter jet was shot down by resistance forces above Bawlakhe Township in Kayah State last month, the Karenni Nationalities People’s Liberation Front (KNPLF) announced.
On June 30, the KNPLF and other resistance forces shot down the aircraft while it was flying low to attack the group’s camp. It crashed near Ywar Thit town.
The group was unable to identify the aircraft at that time as the crash zone was in junta territory and troops quickly removed the wreckage.
The KNPLF said on Thursday that it had confirmed the aircraft was a K-8 W, an upgraded fighter jet from Taungoo Air Force Base flown by Captain Thaw Zin and Lieutenant Aung Phyo Kyaw.
“We do not have any anti-aircraft weapons but our forces fought bravely with all their weapons, forcing the crash. Their brave and adventurous spirit is deeply honored and recorded,” the KNPLF said. The group thanked those who helped reveal the information.
KNPLF spokesman Lawrence Soe told The Irrawaddy: “We only aim to repeat this feat, working with other resistance forces.”
The two pilots were given posthumous honorary titles for bravery by the junta and promoted to major and captain, according to a regime announcement on July 23.
Former army captain Lin Htet Aung, who defected after the 2021 coup, said gallantry awards were often given to disguise mistakes as bravery.
The KNPLF, which formerly served as the Border Guard Force in Kayah State under the command of Myanmar’s military for nearly 30 years, turned on junta troops during June 13’s attacks on regime outposts and police stations in Maese town.
On Saturday, the group officially announced it had joined the revolution to topple the regime and added that it is ready to work with the civilian National Unity Government to carry out revolutionary tasks.
