International Desk: In a dramatic escalation of Myanmar’s ongoing civil war, the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF) has claimed responsibility for shooting down a fighter jet belonging to the military junta. The incident reportedly occurred in Hpasawng, a town in eastern Kayah State, during an assault on a junta military base.
Deputy Commander Maui of the Karenni resistance confirmed the incident through a social media post on Thursday, sharing photos and video footage of the wreckage. The video shows jubilant resistance fighters surrounding the remains of the downed aircraft, celebrating the attack and congratulating the combatants involved.
According to independent news outlet The Irrawaddy, the attack took place Tuesday night when KNDF fighters launched a coordinated strike on the junta’s Infantry Battalion Headquarters 134 and 135 in Hpasawng. During the battle, the Myanmar military deployed a Chinese-made FTC-2000G fighter jet for air support. The same jet was reportedly shot down by the resistance fighters.
The junta later confirmed that one of its aircraft had gone missing approximately 130 kilometers southeast of the capital Naypyidaw. However, it attributed the disappearance to technical failure or adverse weather conditions, avoiding any mention of a successful attack.
Each FTC-2000G fighter jet, manufactured in China, reportedly costs around 8.5 million US dollars. The Myanmar junta had acquired six of these aircraft for domestic operations, primarily to suppress anti-regime uprisings and target armed rebel groups.
The Irrawaddy further reported that KNDF fighters managed to seize control of Battalion 134 and detained several dozen junta soldiers along with their family members. A substantial cache of weapons and ammunition was also reportedly captured. However, as of Thursday, the KNDF had not officially verified the number of prisoners or seized items.
This is not the first such incident. On June 10, the People’s Liberation Army, another resistance group in Myanmar’s Sagaing Region, also claimed to have shot down a junta warplane. The repeated loss of aircraft to rebel forces reflects growing challenges faced by the military regime and a deteriorating grip on large swaths of the country.
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