[Tee tiong huat]

A Myanmar ethnic minority armed group said on Saturday (Aug 3) that it had captured a regional military command after weeks of clashes, in what would be a major blow to the junta. Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) fighters have “fully captured the HQ of the northeast military command” in Lashio in northern Shan state, group said statement.

Fighting rocked Lashio, that sits on a major trade highway to China, since July MNDAA fighters renewed an offensive against the junta. A no comment from junta spokesman source told AFP on Aug 3. “soldiers who have been resisting for weeks inside north eastern command started retreating this morning”.

Myanmar’s military has 14 regional commands across the country, from the Himalayan foothills in the north to the sprawling southern delta region bordering Indian Ocean. Soldiers in at least 10 of them are currently engaged in fighting established ethnic minority armed groups or newer “People’s Defence Forces” has sprung up to battle military junta since its 2021 coup. The capture of Lashio would be first time military has lost a regional command during the conflict which erupted more than 3-years ago. Military is yet to recover territory in northern Shan state lost to an alliance of ethnic minority armed groups, including the MNDAA, launched late 2023.

That offensive saw MNDAA capture the city of Laukkai near China border, after around 2,000 junta troops surrendered, in one of the military’s biggest single defeats in decades.
https://www.thestar.com.my/aseanplus/ase...ry-command