The two crew members of a junta fighter jet shot down by Karenni resistance forces near Ywathit Town in Karenni State on 30 June are still missing, according to an insider from Taungoo Air Force base.

They said that the plane, a Chinese-made K2 attack aircraft had flown out of Taungoo Air Force base, but the junta was trying to suppress any information about the aircraft’s downing.

“Both pilots are still missing”, the Taungo Air Force base insider said.

The junta jet was shot down by the Karenni National People's Liberation Front (KNPLF) and the Karenni Joint Forces at around 11:00 am on 30 June near the Border Guard Force Battalion 1105 base in Ywathit Town, according to the Central Committee of the KNPLF.

Lawyinsoe, a KPLF soldier said to Mizzima "To be honest, we don't even have any large weaponry to shoot down fighter jets, but we were able to shoot down the jet fighter because it flew so low. We fired with all the weapons we possessed, the biggest one was the G4 machine gun.”

There is ongoing fierce fighting in Karenni State and displaced people from across the state are fleeing to Loikaw Township where the fighting has subsided, according to local news sources.