The Chin National Army (CNA) and the Chin Defense Force (CDF) launched an offensive attack on the town of Tonzang on the Myanmar-Indian border in northern Chin State, and today, May 21, it is possible to completely capture Tonzang town, said CNA spokesperson Salai Hteet Ni.
It is said that since the battle for the capture of the town of Tonzang started on May 17th, the Chin joint army was able to capture the police station and the Infantry (269) unit based in Tonzang, and early this morning they entered and cleared the remaining Military Council camp. “We can raid the whole of their hideouts in Tonzang this morning. There are about 50 small arms. There, 10 and 11 people were found missing. Some ran away.” Slai Hteet Ni said.
He said there were some shootings in the city as they were clearing out the fleeing military council forces. During the city capture battle, the Military Council sent reinforcements by helicopter. In addition, ZRA, which is based on the Indian side and cooperates with the Military Council, also provided support from the Military Council. He said that the military council also used fighter jet attack helicopters to provide air support, and the fire was more intense than before.
“They are doing it while avoiding them, so clearing the area is difficult. As for the military council, the main thing is that they can no longer bring reinforcements from the ground. Also, that area is the northern part of Chin State, and it seems unlikely that CNA and a joint force would come with such force. But during the attack, I was really mentally very weak,” Salai Thet Ni explained about the success of the city capture battle in a short period of time.
It was also informed that during the battle for the capture of the city, three members of the Chin joint army were killed and about 10 were injured. Salai Hteet Ni said that Tonzang is an important region from a military and political point of view, as the ZRO/ZRA army from Manipur in India is active in this region. And it is the strongest region where the military council mechanism operates in Chin State. Moreover, the local parties are cooperating with Min Aung Hlaing for the election that Min Aung Hlaing is bringing.
“It is very important both militarily and politically. We must continue to build strength,” he said. Currently, there are some shootings in Hakha, Thantlang township, and there is no large-scale military action in other parts of Chin State, said Salai Hteet Ni. The joint force led by the CNA has already captured more than 17 Military Council camps in Chin State.
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