Heavy military losses in battle over southern Chin State, resistance forces claim

The Chin People’s Army (CPA), a recently unified coalition of resistance forces in southern Chin State, claims to have routed military columns, killing hundreds of regime troops and capturing an undisclosed number of prisoners of war amid fierce, ongoing battles for control of Mindat and Kanpetlet townships. According to frontline sources speaking to DVB, fighting has escalated into daily clashes. In response to mounting battlefield setbacks, the military regime has launched intense, retaliatory air and artillery strikes targeting civilian infrastructure across the region. The fight for Mindat and Kanpetlet Located approximately 127 to 160 miles south of the Chin State capital of Hakha, the strategic towns of Mindat and Kanpetlet were seized by the Chin Brotherhood in 2024 and on December 22, 2025, respectively. The Chin Brotherhood now operates as a core component of the CPA. The CPA was officially established on Jan. 12, merging the forces of the Chinland Defense Force (CDF) units from Mindat, Matupi, Kanpetlet, and Daai. CPA spokesperson Salai Yaw Man confirmed the consolidation of these units under the new banner earlier this year. “We will continue our fight until the end against the military, in collaboration with our people and allies,” the CPA stated on its official social media channels on July 2. A powerful resistance coalition The CPA is heavily supported by allied forces operating across southern Chin State, the northern Magway Region, and Arakan State. These allies include the Yaw Defense Force, the Yaw Army, and the Arakan Army (AA). The AA, widely considered the CPA’s most formidable ally, has dramatically shifted the region’s power dynamics. Since launching a major offensive on Nov. 13, 2023, the AA has seized control of 14 out of 17 townships in Arakan State, as well as Paletwa Township in Chin State. The coordination between these allied groups has created a hardened defensive line against the military’s push into the southern Chin highlands. Heavy civilian toll from aerial attacks As the military’s ground forces struggle to reclaim territory, the regime has increasingly relied on its air superiority, resulting in devastating consequences for the local civilian population across Chin State. According to the CDF-Mindat, regime forces are deliberately targeting civilian infrastructure. Tragically, on June 29, a Burma Air Force airstrike on Mindat killed three children between the ages of 7 and 10. Data collected by DVB indicates that since May 16, at least 14 civilians have been killed and 19 others injured in 78 separate aerial attacks across Chin State. The sheer volume of the bombardments underscores the intensity of the conflict, with the Chin Human Rights Organization (CHRO) documenting nearly 500 airstrikes targeting Mindat Township alone since May.