Army busts 'training camp' of Kuki-Chin insurgents in Bandarban

It takes control of a firing range, trenches and bunkers, as well as other tactical installations set up by the separatist group

The Bangladesh Army said it has dismantled a “training camp” of the Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF), an armed ethnic insurgent group locally known as the “Bawm Party”, in the remote hill district of Bandarban, recovering weapons training gear and other equipment.

In a statement on Wednesday, the Inter-Services Public Relations Directorate (ISPR) said troops conducted a special month-long operation from Jul 25-Aug 26 in the rugged Reng Tlang area of Ruma Upazila near the Myanmar border.

According to the ISPR, soldiers identified a training camp belonging to the KNF’s armed wing, the Kuki-Chin National Army (KNA), in an uninhabited border zone. They reported seizing wooden rifles used for training, sniper weapon casings, military and cartridge belts, uniforms, boots, blankets, walkie-talkie chargers, solar panels, rations and other supplies. The Army also took control of a training ground, firing range, trenches and bunkers, as well as other tactical installations.

The statement said military operations against armed groups in the Chattogram Hill Tracts would continue to ensure the safety of all communities in the region.

WHO ARE THE KNF?

The KNF is an armed group seeking to establish an autonomous “Kuki-Chin State” in the hill tracts. Its vision excludes the larger Chakma, Marma and Tripura communities, instead focusing on smaller groups, including the Bawm, Khiyang, Pangkhua, Lusai, Khumi and Mro.

The group drew national attention in April 2024 after two dramatic bank robberies in Ruma and Thanchi within 16 hours. On Apr 2, the Sonali Bank branch in Ruma was looted at night, followed the next day by daylight raids on Sonali and Krishi Bank branches in Thanchi. Law-enforcing agencies later blamed the KNF for both incidents, prompting joint forces to launch a renewed crackdown in the hills.

Earlier, on Jul 3, the ISPR said that two KNF members had been killed in an Army operation in another remote part of Ruma. That raid also recovered three submachine guns, a rifle and ammunition.