Myanmar rebel group claims downing of military jet near Mandalay

A fighter jet belonging to Myanmar’s military junta crashed and caught fire on Tuesday in Sagaing Region, an area that has seen intense fighting amid the country's ongoing civil war. A local rebel group has claimed responsibility for shooting it down, while state media reported the cause as mechanical failure.

According to state-run broadcaster MRTV, the aircraft went down in Pale Township, about 140 kilometers west of Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city. The report did not specify the type of aircraft or mention any casualties, only noting that a search and recovery operation was underway.

Local media outlets identified the jet as a Chinese-made FTC-2000G, a two-seater fighter and ground-attack aircraft. Photos and videos circulated online showed the wreckage engulfed in flames, with what appeared to be human remains nearby.

Sagaing Region has become a stronghold of resistance against the junta, which seized power in February 2021 from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.

Ni Ni Kyaw, a spokesperson for the People's Liberation Army (PLA), a local resistance militia, told the Associated Press that the group shot down the jet around 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday during an assault on a police station in Pale Township.

She alleged that military aircraft had dropped hundreds of bombs in the region over the past week in support of ground troops fighting against the PLA and allied resistance groups.

The PLA released footage and images of the smoldering wreckage, reportedly taken in a village in Pale Township.