Sagaing: A military fighter jet went down in flames in Myanmar’s Sagaing region on Tuesday. Following the crash, speculations grew behind the reasons which led to the accident. While some said that the jet crashed following a technical failure, others attributed the crash to rebel fire.
We shot down jet: Resistance group
Myanmar’s state media said that the jet crashed due to a mechanical failure. But a resistance group operating in the country, claimed that they had shot down the military aircraft, reported AP.
The incident happened at around midday on Tuesday, in Pale town. The town lies some 140 kilometres west of Mandalay, the country’s second largest city. The military-owned channel MRTV confirmed the crash but refused to give further details. They chose not to reveal the type of jet which crashed or what was the status of the crew. They simply said that the search and recovery operations were on at the crash site.
Local media however identified the crashed aircraft as a Chinese-built FTC-2000G, reported moneycontrol. They also circulated images from the supposed crash site and showed images of body parts. Some unconfirmed reports also claimed that the crashed plane was a JF-17 Thunder — a multirole combat aircraft co-developed by China and Pakistan. These planes have been supplied to Myanmar by Pakistan in recent years.
If the news of the jet having been shot down is confirmed, it will be the first case of combat loss of a JF-17 aircraft in Myanmar’s long civil war. It will also raise questions about the jets performance and survivability in high-conflict zones.
The place where the jet crashed, Sagaing has been a hotbed of resistance ever since the military coup in the country in February 2021. The coup ousted the democratically elected government of the country, which was led by Aung San Suu Kyi. Initially there were peaceful protests against this forced takeover of power, but now it has turned into a nationwide civil war. The military junta is facing tough resistance from armed groups and Sagaing is one of the major regions where these protests are particularly fierce and violent.
