Snipers ambush helicopter about to land, kill Myanmar general

A military helicopter at the scene after it was shot down on January 29 (Photo: Irrawady).

Security sources said Brigadier General Aye Min Naung, his bodyguard and two pilots were shot by a "sniper" as their helicopter was about to land in Thigannyinaung town, near Myawaddy town on the Myanmar-Thai border.

According to the same source, two other soldiers on the helicopter "survived".

The source did not disclose how many snipers opened fire on the helicopter, nor did he accuse anyone of firing.

In recent months, government troops have clashed frequently with ethnic armed groups and units of the allied "People's Defense Forces" around the town of Myawaddy.

Images released by local media showed a small helicopter lying on its side in a field at the scene of the incident.

A local source said the helicopter involved in the incident was a Eurocopter 365 with two engines.

Brigadier General Aye Min Naung is the latest senior Myanmar military officer to be killed on the front lines as the military government battles insurgent groups across the country.

In November 2023, the brigadier general commanding another light infantry battalion was killed after being hit by a bomb dropped from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in Monekoe, near the Chinese border, AFP quoted a military source as saying.

Six other brigadier generals are being held for leading 2,000 regular soldiers to surrender to rebels in the Kokang region.

Myanmar has been mired in turmoil since the military took power in 2021. Many ethnic armed groups have rebelled and fought the government army on different fronts.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-gioi/linh-ban-tia-phuc-kich-truc-thang-sap-ha-canh-ha-sat-tuong-myanmar-20240129220709114.htm