Nine members of the Shanni Nationalities Army (SNA) including a local commander, who were affiliated with the Military Council, were arrested in Mogaung Township of Kachin State, UG Black-K, a Mogaung-based People's Defense Forces (PDF) unit announced.
SNA's local commander U Kyaw Soe (aka) Min Min Hlaing, who lives in the middle ward of Mogaung Township, and his followers were arrested on January 24th in a bean farm west of La Khaung village, a spokesperson of UG Black-K confirmed to KNG.
“We found out that he is a covert militia leader of SNA. At around 9:00 PM on January 24th, we were able to arrest him and his men at their rendezvous, disguised in the bean farm. He used to disrupt our revolutionary activities in various ways. He himself confessed about it. His men also testified that they are members of SNA”, the spokesperson explained.
Along with the 9 captured SNA members, their combat uniforms were confiscated. Currently, the detainees are being interrogated by UG Black-K.
Based on the information gathered from SNA leader U Kyaw Soe (aka) Min Min Hlaing, UG Black-K members were also able to capture Captain Paing Thu Soe (aka) Min Sitt Naing, an intelligence officer of the Bhamo-based Military Council's 47th Division, somewhere along the Hpakant-Myitkyina Road, at noon on January 28th.
But that intelligence officer, Paing Thu Soe (aka) Min Sitt Naing, died while being interrogated.
Captain Paing Thu Soe (aka) Min Sitt Naing, who was posing as a taxi driver between Mogaung and Myitnge to spy on resistance movements, confessed that he had raped a young woman and was responsible for the arrest of 21 PDF members, according to UG Black-K.
Following the arrest of SNA members and an intelligence officer, the Military Council has tightened security measures both in and out of Mogaung.
SNA is a Shanni ethnic insurgent group active in northern Sagaing Division and Kachin State, typically welcoming the presence of the Military Council in their territories to stand against the Kachin Independence Army (KIA).
