A military fighter jet crashed and burned Tuesday in an area that has seen intense fighting during Myanmar’s civil war, with a rebel group claiming to have shot it down while state-run media reported it suffered a mechanical failure. The aircraft went down midday in the Sagaing region, about 140 kilometers (85 miles) west of Mandalay, Myanmar ‘s second largest city, according to state-run MRTV television. It did not identify the type of jet or mention casualties, and said a search and recovery effort was underway in Pale township where it went down. Local media reports identified the plane as the two-seater Chinese FTC-2000G, a fighter ground-attack jet, and broadcast images of a crashed plane with body parts nearby. Sagaing region is a stronghold of armed resistance to the military, which seized power in February 2021 from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. Opposition to the takeover began peacefully, but escalated into a civil war as the authorities resorted increasingly to lethal force to quell dissent. Ni Ni Kyaw, a spokesperson for a militia known as the People’s Liberation Army, or PLA, told The Associated Press its fighters had been involved in an assault on a police station in Pale township when they shot down the jet at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Full story : Myanmar rebels claim to have shot down a fighter jet being used by military to attack ground targets.