Myanmar’s junta drops ‘more than 500’ bombs on Chin state town during week of clashes

An intense battle is underway in western Myanmar as junta troops attempt to re-take Falam, the second-biggest city in Chin state, with the military dropping more than 500 bombs over the past week, residents and rebel forces said Tuesday.

Fighting in Chin has escalated in recent months, as rebels seek to push out remaining junta forces that occupied the state following the military’s February 2021 coup d’etat. The clash over Falam comes after a Chin official told RFA Burmese in late December that ethnic Chin and Rakhine rebels were in control of at least 85% of the western state.