Local Chin Defense Forces (CDF) have reported that a fighter jet of the Military Council bombed Mindat Township in southern Chin State on the night of March 13th.

 According to an official from CDF-Mindat, two fighter jets arrived around 10:00 pm and one of them bombed an area near the Mindat-Matupi Highway, located approximately 15 miles from downtown Mindat.

“Two planes arrived, one of which bombed a location on the Mindat-Matupi highway. Artillery fire could be heard at over 20 times throughout the night, and the extent of the damages is still under investigation. In the morning, the boom of artillery firing was heard four more times”, he said.

Simultaneously with the Air Force bombardment, the 274th Light Infantry Battalion stationed in Mindat opened indiscriminate artillery fire and continued shelling until the following morning.

 The airstrikes occurred one day after Military Council troops arrived in the town of Kyaukhtu with a convoy of over 80 trucks from their previous location in Pakokku.

It is believed that the Military Council convoy is planning to advance towards the towns of Mindat and Matupi in Chin State. The Military Council has carried out these threatening attacks in order to intimidate the local population and clear the way for their advance.

In light of the Military Council convoy’s potential advancement towards Mindat and Matupi, CDF- Mindat has issued a warning to the public, advising them not to use the Kyaukhtu-Mindat-Matupi highway for the next few days.

In the southern Chin State towns of Matupi, Mindat, and Kanpetlet, the Military Council has disrupted communication networks by cutting phone lines and internet access. This has made it challenging to gather accurate information regarding the current situation in the affected areas.