logo
Myanmar military fighter jet disappears as resistance group claims to have downed it

Myanmar military fighter jet disappears as resistance group claims to have downed it

BANGKOK (AP) — A Myanmar military fighter jet crashed in a combat zone in the country's east, according to an anti-military resistance organization that claimed to have shot it down. State-run media reported about the disappearance of an aircraft.
Maui, the vice commander-in-chief and Secretary No. 2 of the Karenni Nationalities Defence Force, or KNDF, told The Associated Press on Thursday that a jet had been shot down early Wednesday by the resistance fighters during heavy fighting near Hpasawng township in Kayah state, which is also known as Karenni.
Hpasawng is about 160 kilometers (100 miles) southeast of the capital, Naypyitaw.
Claims of aircraft being shot down are difficult to independently confirm, because of tight restrictions on the media and the remoteness of where much combat takes place.
Maui said that the wreckage of the plane, along with the remains of the two pilots nearby, were found on Thursday morning, after a search was conducted. He also posted photos and video of the jet's smoking wreckage on a hill with the resistance fighters, including him, posing in the background. Local media also posted images of a crashed plane with what appeared to be human remains nearby.
The claims that an aircraft had been shot down came a few hours after the state-run Myanma Alinn newspaper on Thursday reported that the military fighter jet had suddenly disappeared from radar and lost communications during long-distance training maneuvers on Tuesday night, approximately 130 kilometres (80 miles) southeast of Naypyitaw.
The report said that it was possibly caused by a technical fault or bad weather, and a search and recovery effort was underway, without identifying the type of jet or mentioning casualties.
The KNDF identified the plane as a two-seater Chinese FTC-2000G, a ground-attack jet. In a statement released on its Facebook page on Thursday, the resistance group said that the military has been launching heavy attacks with various fighter jets after the combined resistance forces seized an army infantry battalion in Hpasawng on Monday.
Maui said that the plane could be the same one that the military had declared missing.
Kayah, which is the smallest of Myanmar's seven states and dominated by the Karenni ethnic minority, has experienced intense conflict, especially since the army seized power in February 2021 from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. The area borders Thailand and isn't far from Myanmar's capital.
The crisis has led to the growth of armed resistance and embroiled the country in a civil war. The military, which has launched offensives in various parts of the country, makes heavy use of air power, which can't be effectively challenged by the resistance.
Most combat aircraft in Myanmar's military come from China or Russia, which also supply other armaments. Many Western nations maintain an arms embargo, in addition to other sanctions on the ruling military, and are making efforts to block the supply of aviation fuel.
The military is believed to have lost at least five helicopters and four fighter jets, including two aircraft that crashed in May and June, which opposition groups claimed were shot down by them.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Russia becomes the first country to formally recognize Taliban rule in Afghanistan
Russia becomes the first country to formally recognize Taliban rule in Afghanistan

Winnipeg Free Press

time33 minutes ago

  • Winnipeg Free Press

Russia becomes the first country to formally recognize Taliban rule in Afghanistan

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia on Thursday became the first country to formally recognize the Taliban's government in Afghanistan since it seized power in 2021, after Moscow removed the group from its list of outlawed organizations. The Russian Foreign Ministry announced that it had received credentials from Afghanistan's newly appointed Ambassador Gul Hassan Hassan. The official recognition of the Afghan government will foster 'productive bilateral cooperation between our countries,' the ministry said in a statement. Afghanistan's Foreign Ministry called it a historic step, and quoted Taliban Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi as welcoming the decision as 'a good example for other countries.'

India's Modi arrives in Trinidad and Tobago to strengthen ties in first official visit
India's Modi arrives in Trinidad and Tobago to strengthen ties in first official visit

Winnipeg Free Press

time34 minutes ago

  • Winnipeg Free Press

India's Modi arrives in Trinidad and Tobago to strengthen ties in first official visit

PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (AP) — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Trinidad and Tobago on Thursday for a two-day trip expected to boost investments in energy, health, security and other sectors. It is Modi's first official visit to the diverse, twin-island Caribbean nation. More than 35% of its 1.4 million inhabitants are East Indian, descendants of indentured workers brought from India during the colonial era. Modi said on X prior to the trip that he was 'looking forward to deepening ties with a valued partner in the Caribbean, with whom we share very old cultural linkages.' Hours before Modi landed in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad's prime minister, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, closed schools and non-essential government offices as a security measure aimed at reducing traffic. Modi was scheduled to meet with officials on Thursday evening and address both Houses of Parliament on Friday, as well as sign several agreements. While many in Trinidad and Tobago's Hindu community were excited about Modi's visit, the nation's largest Muslim organization, the Anjuman Sunnat-ul-Jamaat Association, had its reservations. In a letter sent to a local newspaper, the association criticized Modi's government, saying it has 'emboldened religious intolerance and targeted the Muslim community' in India. 'We cannot ignore Mr. Modi's political legacy and its ramifications for Muslim communities globally,' the association said. About 18% of Trinidad and Tobago's population is Hindu, while 5% is Muslim. Modi is scheduled to travel to Buenos Aires, Argentina this weekend and meet with President Javier Milei.

Organization denies AP report that US contractors at its Gaza food distribution sites used live ammo
Organization denies AP report that US contractors at its Gaza food distribution sites used live ammo

Winnipeg Free Press

time34 minutes ago

  • Winnipeg Free Press

Organization denies AP report that US contractors at its Gaza food distribution sites used live ammo

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, an Israeli-backed American organization running a new aid program in Gaza, on Thursday denied a report by The Associated Press that American contractors guarding the foundation's aid sites inside Gaza were using live ammunition and stun grenades as hungry Palestinians scrambled for food. AP's story, released Wednesday, is based on accounts from two U.S. contractors who spoke anonymously because they were revealing internal operations of their employer. They said they were coming forward because they were disturbed by what they considered irresponsible and dangerous practices. It draws also on text messages, internal reports and videos filmed by one of the contractors. The GHF said it launched an 'immediate investigation' when it was first contacted by the AP for comment. 'Based on time-stamped video footage and sworn witness statements, we have concluded that the claims in the AP's story are categorically false,' they wrote. 'At no point were civilians under fire at a GHF distribution site,' the GHF wrote. GHF, Israeli military disagree In its statement Thursday, GHF said the fire heard in videos obtained by The AP came from Israel's military, located 'outside the immediate vicinity' of the aid sites themselves. It offered no evidence. Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani, an army spokesman, told the AP Thursday that the army is 'not within the sites' and 'not in the immediate proximity to the sites.' GHF said the gunfire in the videos obtained by the AP 'was not directed at individuals, and no one was shot or injured.' The AP's initial report included photos taken by the contractor showing a woman lying on a donkey cart after the contractor said she was hit in the head with a stun grenade, a Palestinian crying after the contractor said he was tear gassed and videos where the sound of live ammunition can be heard. Men dressed in grey — people whom the contractor who filmed the video identified as his colleagues — can be seen lobbing multiple stun grenades toward crowds of Palestinians squeezed into a narrow, fenced-in lane leading to one of the sites. The stun grenades flash as they land, and Palestinians are engulfed in thick clouds. The contractors said they deployed pepper spray regularly. The contractors also told the AP that Israel's military was not stationed at the sites or in their immediate vicinity. The GHF called the AP's decision not to share the videos filmed by the contractor with them ahead of publication 'troubling.' It claimed that the 'primary source' in the story was a 'disgruntled former contractor who was terminated for misconduct weeks before this article was published.' AP decided not to share videos before publication The AP reached out to the GHF, Safe Reach Solutions, the company subcontracted to handle logistics for GHF, and UG Solutions, the company that hired the security contractors, a week before publication. The AP described the videos in detail in an email to UG but decided not to share the videos to protect sources' safety during the lead-up to publication. The AP thoroughly vetted both contractors who provided testimony and verified the videos using geolocation, confirming they were filmed at the aid sites, and sought audio analysis from forensic experts who determined the gunfire came from within 50-60 meters in most videos and within 115 meters in one. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. The AP has asked to visit the GHF sites numerous times and had not been granted access. Journalists have been unable to visit the GHF sites, located in Israeli military-controlled zones. The GHF also said in its statement that it had already removed one contractor seen 'shouting' in a video published by the AP. In the case of one video, the contractor who filmed it said he witnessed two other contractors firing in the direction of Palestinians leaving the site after collecting their food. He said the contractors were egging each other on. In the video, English-speaking men say 'I think you hit one,' and 'Hell yeah, boy!' after a burst of gunfire sounds, but who is shooting and what is being shot at is obscured. The contractor filming said he watched a man amid a group of Palestinians leaving the site drop to the ground, in the same direction of the bullets being fired. The contractor who filmed the video says he doesn't know whether anyone was hit or injured in that instance. GHF did not address that account in its statement Thursday but said 'no one was shot or injured.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store