Anti-junta fighters in Myanmar seek to control border with India

Success in early battles against military forces propels rebel charge

Anti-junta Myanmar's Chin state are aiming to gain control of part of a porous border with India, after tasting early success with the takeover of two military outposts on the remote mountainous frontier, a senior rebel commander said.

Dozens of rebels battled the Myanmar military from dawn to dusk on Monday to overrun two camps abutting India's Mizoram state, as part of a widening offensive against the junta-led administration, said Chin National Front (CNF) vice-chairman Sui Khar.

Spokespersons for Myanmar's junta and India's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Myanmar's junta is facing its biggest test since taking power in a 2021 coup after three ethnic minority forces launched a coordinated offensive in late October, capturing some towns and military posts.

The offensive, named "Operation 1027" after the date it began, initially made inroads in junta-controlled areas on the border with China in Shan state, where the military authorities have lost control of several towns and more than 100 military outposts.

"We are continuing our attacks in Shan state," said Mr Kyaw Naing, a spokesman for the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, which is part of the operation.