By Garcia Ni / MPA
The military junta launched a staggering 77 airstrikes on Mindat, a town in Southern Chin State, throughout October, according to a report from the Information and Documentation Department of the Chinland Defense Force (CDF) in Mindat.
These attacks involved bombings on Mindat Town and the Rural Zone-4 with 500-pound and 250-pound bombs, dropped from jet fighters and Y-12 aircraft.
An official of CDF (Mindat) told MPA, “They are just doing their job, and we are doing our best to do ours.”
Additionally, four members of CDF (Mindat) were killed in October. No civilians or defense members were harmed as a result of the junta’s airstrikes, according to the official.
The fallen members were Salai Yaw Mang Kee, Salai Te Kee, Salai Naing Lain, and Salai Chwe Hung. Regarding their deaths, the source noted, “We cannot reveal any more details at this time.”
The military junta has fortified the Infantry Battalion-274 in Mindat by airlifting weapons, ammunition, and food via Y-12 transport aircraft since late August and throughout September.
The CDF (Mindat) has issued announcements urging civilians to evacuate in advance, as clashes could break out in Mindat Town at any time.
A local man told MPA, “A few minor skirmishes reportedly broke out in Mindat Town. Almost every village nearby is empty as people have been staying in the fields and will return to the villages only after harvesting rice and other crops.”
Additionally, CDF (Mindat) has repeatedly advised residents of villages in Mindat Township to build bomb shelters near their homes to protect against potential airstrikes by the junta, according to the source.
A man living in the Rural Zone-2 told MPA, “They are only carrying out airstrikes around the outskirts of town, so we haven’t heard of any civilians getting hurt. Almost every house has a bomb shelter.”
Reports of the CDF (Mindat) Information and Documentation Department suggest that the junta troops burned down 30 houses in the eastern and western wards of Mindat Town in October.
Additionally, local sources reported that the military council frequently conducts shelling and drop strikes around Mindat.
