2 KNF men shot dead in Ruma raid: ISPR
Two members of the Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF) were killed after being shot during a raid by army personnel in the remote Baklai Para area of Bandarban's Ruma upazila yesterday.
The team also recovered three arms, ammunition, and a walkie-talkie used by the armed group, said a press release of Inter Services Public Relation Directorate (ISPR).
Earlier on April 22, another KNF member was killed in a raid by an army patrol team in the remote Munlai Para area of Bandarban's Ruma.
A joint drive is underway to arrest those who were involved in the robberies of Sonali and Krishi banks in Ruma and Thanchi on April 2 and 3.
Members of BGB, Rab, police, and Ansar are taking part in the operation, coordinated by the army.
WHO ARE KNF?
In early 2022, the name of the new armed group -- KNF -- came to light. It was learned that some people from the Bawm ethnic community in Bandarban formed the group.
The group came to the fore after it opened a Facebook page and demanded a separate state comprising nine upazilas of Bandarban and Rangamati.
They claimed to represent six ethnic communities -- Bawm, Pankhowa, Lusai, Khyang, Mro, and Khumi.
They also claimed that more than 100 members of their military wing migrated to Myanmar's Kachin province for guerrilla training three years ago.
A trained group returned to Bangladesh in 2021, and its members went into hiding in 2022.
Nathan Bawm of Aden Para of Bandarban's Ruma upazila is the head of this organisation.
A graduate of the Department of Fine Arts at Dhaka University, Nathan Bawm founded a non-governmental organisation called Kuki-Chin National Development Organisation (KNDO) in his area in 2008.
In 2019, the name was changed to KNF, sources in the Bawm community said.
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