Myanmar’s ethnic minority militias have been fighting in a village with local militias, one of their leaders said today.
The army surrounded Lashio, a town in northern Shan State where the Eastern Command is based, Ta National Liberation Army General Tar Bhone Kyaw told AFP ‘ang (TNLA). Clashes erupted on Wednesday as tribal forces entered the area.
A member of a group of volunteers in the area helping to treat the wounded and bury the dead told AFP today that at least 16 civilians have died since the fighting began in Lashio. There was a lot of fighting around the city, the rescuer said.
The fight continues. We heard that they (TNLA) entered the town yesterday from the south.
Lashio is located on the highway that connects Mandalay, Myanmar’s second city, to China’s Yunnan province. Flights to the city from Yangon’s commercial hub have been canceled since Wednesday morning, a Yangon airport source told AFP earlier this week.
The Three Brotherhood, which is made up of armed clans, began attacking militants near Lashio and the Chinese border last October.
A small ethnic group has been fighting junta forces in Mogok town, west of Lashio, Tar Bhone Kyaw said. The west side, says General Mogok, is known to be surrounded by mountains rich in rubies, sapphires, spinels, aquamarine and other precious stones.
We are trying to get the east side. The alliance has seized vast territories and lucrative border posts, dealing the junta its biggest blow since it took power in 2021.
China negotiated a ceasefire in January between the military and the alliance, made up of the Arakan Army (AA), the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and the TNLA. But late last month, the TNLA launched a new offensive in Shan State and neighboring Mandalay Region.
Myanmar’s territory is home to many armed tribes, many of whom have fought the military since independence from Britain in 1948 for independence and control of the lucrative economy.
