NAYPYITAW, 29 September 2021, (TON): The Chinland Defence Force (CDF) ambushed Myanmar army troops on patrol in the largely deserted town of Thantlang, Chin State.

A spokesperson for the CDF-Thantlang said that their members “intercepted and attacked” a 40-soldier unit that morning on a local road.

According to the CDF spokesperson “a  junta base on a nearby hill provided cover for their troops by firing heavy artillery at the resistance fighters, but no local houses were hit.

The number of casualties was not known at the time of reporting.

One of the estimated 30 remaining Thantlang residents told Myanmar Now that he heard gunfire being exchanged for around half an hour.

He said “we are all hiding in fear. I don’t know what happened because I haven’t dared to go outside.”

Those who have stayed behind in the town, which previously had a population of 8,000, are from two households in Thantlang or sheltering in an orphanage.

Around 200 junta troops were still stationed in Thantlang at the time of reporting, positioned advantageously on a hill overseeing the town.