A Myanmar insurgent army said it had captured a junta regional military headquarters in an embattled northeastern town on Thursday, which, if confirmed, would be one of the most significant losses for the military in years.
A spokesman for the junta denied the claim by the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, or MNDAA, that the military headquarters in the town of Lashio had fallen, saying troops were clearing insurgents from Lashio’s outskirts.
“We were fighting for the last half of the headquarters since last night and were able to fully seize it at 4 a.m.,” an MNDAA spokesperson told Radio Free Asia, referring to the headquarters of the Northeastern Regional Command, one of the military’s 14 such commands.
The spokesperson, who declined to be identified for security reasons, did not give any information on casualties but said the MNDAA had captured prisoners without saying how many.
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The MNDAA is a member of a tripartite insurgent force known as the Three Brotherhood Alliance that has made significant gains against junta forces in northeast Myanmar’s Shan state since late last year despite Chinese efforts to broker peace in the region on its border.
Lashio is the main town in northern Shan state, about halfway along the main road link between the city of Mandalay and the Chinese border.
Forces of the junta that seized power in a 2021 coup have been facing significant setbacks in different parts of the country since late last year.
Think tank, The Institute for Strategy and Policy – Myanmar, said in a report last month that 10 of the 14 regional military commands were “actively engaged in high-intensity armed conflicts.”
Main junta spokesperson Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun told state-run media that reports of the capture of Lashio’s military headquarters were false. He said the reported fighting was a “‘clearance operation”’ launched by the junta to expel rebels from near Lashio.
RFA attempted to reach Shan state’s junta spokesperson Khun Thein Maung for comment, but he did not respond.
‘Explosions so loud’’
The MNDAA’s announcement on Lashio came days after another member of the rebel alliance, the Ta’ang National Liberation Army, said it had captured the whole of the gem-mining town of Mogoke, 130 km (80 miles) west of Lashio. The TNLA posted video on social media of cheering Mogoke residents coming out to welcome its fighters as they entered the town.
An MNDAA media outlet said the insurgents were in full control of Lashio town but a resident said the sound of heavy fighting could still be heard.
“Since last night, the explosions have been so loud, there are many shells falling on houses,” said the resident who declined to be identified.
“Even as we speak, heavy weapons are landing. I haven’t been out much, so I don’t know what has been hit and destroyed.”
Thousands of Lashio residents have fled from the town in recent weeks and more got out early on Thursday, some taking shelter in Buddhist monasteries on the outskirts, residents said.
Several charity workers assisting those trapped in the town had been shot, they added.
The Three Brotherhood Alliance launched an offensive in late October, codenamed Operation 1027. It has been halted twice by Chinese-brokered ceasefires but the rebels’ largest push began last Friday.
Translated by RFA Burmese. Edited by Kiana Duncan and Mike Firn.
This content originally appeared on Radio Free Asia and was authored by By RFA Burmese.