Ethnic armed group battling Myanmar’s military claims to have shot down an army helicopter

By GRANT PECK
Associated Press

BANGKOK (AP) — An ethnic minority armed group that is battling Myanmar’s military government says they shot down a helicopter believed to be on a resupply mission in a combat zone in the northern state of Kachin. A spokesperson for the Kachin Independence Army told The Associated Press the helicopter was shot down soon after taking off from an army outpost to return to its base in Myitkyina township, the state’s capital, on Wednesday. Myanmar’s military, which came to power in February 2021 after seizing power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, has been battling pro-democracy resistance forces loosely allied with armed ethnic minority groups seeking greater autonomy. The number of casualties in the downed helicopter was unclear, but media reports said six or seven had died.