The Chinland Defence Force had to withdraw after being overwhelmed by the Burma Army (BA), which has employed all its might to dislodge the resistance fighters from their headquarters in Kanpetlet Township since the first week of February.
“We’re outgunned and simply don’t have enough guns and ammunition. Another reason why we’ve withdrawn from our brigade headquarters is to avoid civilian casualties in the surrounding villages,” a statement by the Kanpetlet CDF said.
The fighting with the BA broke out on Pan Hill after a column of 200 enemy soldiers marched towards the group’s headquarters. According to CDF, at least three BA soldiers were killed in the clash on 17 March.
A few days earlier, CDF fighters from Kanpetlet and Mindat, the Yaw People Defence Force (PDF), the Youth Force and the Saw PDF had clashed with another BA column near Am Pon. In the two-day fighting, 2 BA were killed, but no one from the resistance, according to CDF. However, the following day, one CDF fighter from Kanpetlet died during fighting with BA Infantry Battalion 274 near Sammatha village, while two others were wounded.
During the clash, the BA’s artillery battalion in Kyauk Htu shelled the resistance and surrounding villages, killing a 40-year-old male civilian and destroying nine houses.
As some of the villagers were still missing at the time of going to press, it’s unclear whether they survived the artillery fire. Over a thousand people from Sammatha, Sanein Nue and Keetaw Makyar fled into the jungle.
With fighting continuing in southern Chin State, CDF has been trying to raise money to buy more weapons and ammunition to continue resisting the regime.