Military sources and CDM Captain Zin Yaw have confirmed that Lieutenant Colonel Wai Lin Htun, commander of Infantry Battalion 268, and Deputy Commander Aung Si Thu were killed during the battle in Falam, Chin State. Both officers were killed during fighting that occurred on March 17th, while the commander’s wife had remained in Mawlamyine city citing health reasons rather than staying at the military base in Falam.
The death of Commander Wai Lin Htun was confirmed when funeral arrangements were observed taking place at his residence in Mawlamyine, as stated by CDM Captain Zin Yaw. Deputy Commander Aung Si Thu, who had been promoted and transferred to Falam from the Htauk Kyant base in Yangon, was initially shot in the arm during the battle before being fatally wounded by a hand grenade, according to confirmation from one of his relatives. The fighting began around 5 AM on March 11th when the military council forces launched an offensive with air support against revolutionary forces’ positions at Church Hill and Hospital Hill areas in Falam.
Following this initial assault, revolutionary forces launched a counter-offensive aimed at completely capturing Infantry Battalion 268. Deputy Commander Aung Si Thu’s body was not returned to his family but was instead buried within the Falam military compound. The battle represents a significant engagement between resistance forces and military council troops in the ongoing conflict, with revolutionary forces maintaining their offensive operations against the military council’s positions in the area. The deaths of these high-ranking officers mark a substantial loss for the military council’s command structure in the region.
