A soldier from the Matupi Chinland Defence Force (CDF) was killed and the resistance group, which is fighting to overthrow the dictatorship, lost four rifles and some ammunition in a clash with the military in southern Chin State.
On 15 January, fighting broke out between the PDF and 100 regime soldiers along the Matupi – Hakha road after the military raided Nga Lai. The next day, the fighter was killed and the PDF lost 2 M-4 rifles, 2 pistols, 11 motorbikes, 7 mobile phones, some rifle ammunition and $715 after they were forced to make a hasty retreat from the village.
“They attacked us with excessive force and forced us to withdraw from our frontline post,” Aaron, the PDF spokesperson, told Khonumthung News. After the group was forced out, the army reportedly torched two houses and used backhoes to destroy three more houses in Nga Lai.
Locals told Khonumthung News that a regime fighter also died in the clash but it wasn’t possible to independently confirm how many people died on both sides.