Myanmar rebels claim to shoot down fighter planes used by the military to attack ground targets

BANGKOK (AP) – A military fighter plane crashed and burned in an area where fiercely fought during the Myanmar Civil War on Tuesday, with a rebel group claiming to have shot down the game while state-owned media reported suffering mechanical failures.

According to the state-operated MRTV TV station, the plane is in the Sagan area about 140 kilometers (85 miles) west of Mandalay, Myanmar’s second largest city.

It did not identify the type of jet or mention the type of casualties and indicated that searches and recovery efforts were conducted in light towns.

Local media reported that the plane was identified as a two-seat Chinese FTC-2000G, a fighter attacking jet, and broadcast images of crash planes with body parts nearby.

The Sagan region is a stronghold of armed resistance against the army, which seized power from the Aung San Suu Kyi government in February 2021. Opponents to takeover began with peace, but escalated into civil war as authorities increasingly resorted to deadly forces to calm dissent.

Ni Ni Kyaw, the militia spokesman, Ni Ni Kyaw, known as the People’s Liberation Army, PLA, told the Associated Press that their fighters were alleged to attack the police station in the Pale Town when they shot down the jets at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday.

She said that over the past week, military jets have dropped hundreds of bombs in the area to support ground forces fighting the PLA and other resistance forces.

PLA posted a video and video of the video and pictures in a pale township village.

The military increasingly uses air strikes to oppose a wide range of armed struggles with rule, relying primarily on Russian and Chinese aircraft that continue to provide high-tech weapons to government forces.

The FTC-2000G was first delivered by China in 2022 after the military seized power.

In May, a military attack in Sagaing attacked a school, killing as many as 20 students and two teachers, according to witnesses and independent media. MRTV aired a report denied the attack.

The military is believed to have lost at least five helicopters and four jet fighters, but the claim that resistance groups shot them down was unsure due to strict media restrictions and the out of reach of the area where most of the battle took place was unsure.