A helicopter crash kills the pilot and the battle continues with the parachutists : Myanmar

Kayah State (Karenia State), The pilot of the military helicopter that was shot down yesterday between Bolakhei and Phasong town was killed, and the battle is continuing with the military council soldiers who parachuted in, a Karenni Revolutionary Forces officer familiar with the situation on the ground told RFA.

The Karenni Defense Forces shot down two helicopters that came to send reinforcements and food to Phasong on May 6 at around 11:00 in the afternoon.

One of the helicopters crashed in Bolakhei Township, a Karenni Revolutionary Forces officer involved in the ground battle told RFA.

"Two ships arrived yesterday. When one plane was dropped, the soldiers of the military council in the other plane jumped from the parachute. The helicopter pilot was killed when he fired. When they parachuted, we fired again."

He said that while the Karenni Defense Forces were clearing the area where the helicopter crashed, they were still fighting with the military council soldiers who had parachuted down.

As of the morning of May 7, the Karenni Revolutionary Forces are still clearing the area, and there has been no word on the details of casualties from the ground, according to a (KNDF) news and information official.

The RFA has not been able to independently confirm that the pilot died in the helicopter crash and the exact type of helicopter that crashed.

There is no press release from the Military Council regarding this matter, and RFA contacted Kayah State Spokesperson Deputy Director U Xana Ng Maung by telephone, but he did not receive an answer.

In order to capture the town of Pha Song, the military council's Khlara (134) and Khlara (135) military bases near the city were attacked by Karenni forces in 2024. The offensive has been going on since May 4th, so the fighting is intensifying every day.

KNDF officials said that the Military Council Army is conducting continuous airstrikes to prevent the camps from giving up.