KNPLF troops stand guard at an anti-coup protest in 2021 in Loikaw, Kayah State. / The Kayan Times
Kayah State resistance fighters shot down a Myanmar junta aircraft during an airstrike near Bawlakhe Township on Friday.
A Karenni National People’s Liberation Front (KNPLF) officer told the media on Saturday that the aircraft was attacking the group’s camps before it crashed near Ywar Thit.
He said the group had no anti-aircraft weapons but used heavy weapons and rifles to down the aircraft as it flew low.
The aircraft has not been identified. Approximately 300 junta troops were deployed in the area and around five helicopters arrived after the crash, the officer said.
A resistance source confirmed the reports to The Irrawaddy.
Two units of the KNPLF, which formerly served as the Border Guard Force in Kayah State under Myanmar’s military for nearly 30 years, turned on junta troops during June 13’s attacks on regime outposts and police stations in Maese town.
On Saturday, the group officially announced it had joined the revolution to topple the repressive regime.
The KNPLF’s announcement said it is ready to work with the civilian National Unity Government to carry out revolutionary tasks.
