Myanmar Insurgents Claim Control of Regional Military Office
The National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA), an armed insurgent group in Myanmar, has announced that it has taken control of a regional military office.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the NDAA claimed to have seized the office in Lashio, located in Shan State in northern Myanmar, following a night-long assault amid ongoing conflict in the country.
International media, citing sources within the junta, reported that soldiers stationed at the office began withdrawing from Saturday morning after several weeks of combat. Lashio is a critical trade route between China and Myanmar.
The battle for control of this military office had been ongoing since early last month between the Myanmar military and NDAA fighters.
The NDAA’s capture of the office marks the first time in over three years that Myanmar’s armed forces have lost a regional military office. Additionally, they have ceded control of a significant portion of Shan State to the NDAA and other insurgent groups.
Myanmar has a total of 14 regional military offices, with ongoing conflicts in 10 of these locations involving insurgent groups from various ethnic minorities.
