Latest news with #ThreeBrotherhoodAlliance
Al Jazeera
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Myanmar military claims recapture of strategic town from rebel force
Myanmar's military government has claimed to have removed rebel fighters and recaptured a town after a yearlong battle near the country's main army training academy, marking a rare turnaround for the regime in the northeast region of the country. The country's ruling military announced on Thursday that it made the advance in Shan State's town of Nawnghkio, which had been under the control of the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA). The rebel group, part of the Three Brotherhood Alliance, had seized the strategically important town, which sits on a key highway linking central Myanmar to China, in July 2024. In a statement published in the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar, the military government said it had retaken Nawnghkio after '566 armed engagements within 11 operational months'. A rare one-page spread in the newspaper showed soldiers holding rifles aloft in celebration. It detailed the battle, admitting initial attacks led to officers and enlisted men 'sacrificing their lives'. But 'by combining strategic ground and air military tactics', the military captured 'the whole Nawnghkio area' by Wednesday, it said. Nawnghkio is located about 40km (25 miles) from Pyin Oo Lwin, the town that hosts the country's main military officer training academy, and some 80km (50 miles) from Myanmar's second-most populous city, Mandalay. In a statement, the TNLA did not acknowledge the military government's claim of victory, saying only that 'it has been difficult to continue administrative work in the town due to the heavy offensive'. The TNLA added that it had 'moved civil administration services to safe locations'. While the combined rebel offensive against government forces has inflicted sweeping losses since it was launched in October 2023, analysts say the military government's control over large population centres is secure as it wields an air force capable of staving off large-scale rebel advances. Northeastern Lashio city was also captured by the rebels but was handed back to the ruling military in April after a deal brokered by China. Since a 2021 military coup toppled the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi and ignited a civil war in Myanmar, a myriad of pro-democracy armed groups and ethnic rebel armies have joined forces to fight against military rule. The groups in the Three Brotherhood Alliance, which also include the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army and the Arakan Army, have been fighting for decades for greater autonomy from Myanmar's central government. The alliance is also loosely allied with the People's Defence Force, a pro-democracy resistance group that has emerged to fight the military regime.
Asahi Shimbun
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Asahi Shimbun
Myanmar military recaptures strategic town from rebels after a year, government says
In this image released on July 16, 2025, by The Myanmar Military True News Information Team, soldiers are seen celebrating a victory at one of the captured outposts in Nawnghkio, a township that the Ta'ang National Liberation Army controlled for over a year, in northern part of Shan state, Myanmar. (The Myanmar Military True News Information Team via AP) BANGKOK--Myanmar 's military has recaptured a strategic gateway town from rebel forces after nearly a year, state-media reported Thursday, marking a rare turnaround in the country's northeast, where an alliance of ethnic militias seized a large swath of territory in an offensive that began in late 2023. Nawnghkio, which sits on a major highway trading route linking central Myanmar to China, had been under the control of the Ta'ang National Liberation Army, or TNLA, a group in the Three Brotherhood Alliance, since July last year. Its recapture by the army comes after a long period where the military government had been seen as being on the defensive against an array of rebel forces in the civil war that is being fought over much of the country. Nawnghkio, which also stands on the highway leading to the major military garrison town of Pyin Oo Lwin, was completely captured by the army at noon on Wednesday after nearly 11 months of operations to retake the town, according to a state-run Myanma Alinn newspaper report on Thursday. After more than 500 armed engagements, including 20 major clashes, the bodies of 171 members of the TNLA and its allies were recovered and their ammunition supplies were captured, the report said, adding that the military was working to restore the town's administrative mechanisms, remove land mines and ensure the safe return of residents who had fled to avoid fighting. The newspaper also published photos of the soldiers who had recaptured the town in front of the government offices, hospitals, and markets. The Ta'ang National Liberation Army did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Restrictions on reporting make independent confirmation of the town's recapture virtually impossible, though the army's claim has not been challenged. However, in a statement posted Wednesday on the Telegram messaging app, the TNLA said it had moved the group's civil administration and service offices in Nawnghkio to safe locations as the military's intensive offensive operations in the past few months made it difficult to carry out work. The groups in the Three Brotherhood Alliance, which also include the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army and the Arakan Army, have been fighting for decades for greater autonomy from Myanmar's central government and are loosely allied with the People's Defense Force, the pro-democracy resistance that emerged to fight military rule after the army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. Since October 2023, the alliance members captured and controlled significant swaths of territory in in northeastern Myanmar near the Chinese border and in western Myanmar. Their victories were seen as forcing the army to go on the defensive over most of the country, while boosting the morale and strategic position of resistance forces. The recapture of Nawnghkio comes more than two months after the TNLA rejected the military's demands to withdraw from five towns controlled by the group, including Nawnghkio, during talks brokered by China in the Chinese city of Kunming in late April. China tries to maintain good relations with both the military government and the groups making up the Three Brotherhood Alliance, but fears that the aggressive posture of the rebel groups destabilizes Myanmar, which is a key Southeast Asian ally of Beijing with large strategic Chinese investments in minerals, energy and infrastructure. Nawnghkio's recapture also comes just more than a week after the military claimed to take back the strategic town of Mobye in southern Shan state, which had been seized since late 2023 by another alliance of ethnic armed organizations in the eastern state of Kayah, also known as Karenni. Myanmar has been in turmoil since the army's 2021 takeover, which led to nationwide peaceful protests that escalated into armed resistance and what now amounts to civil war. Nay Phone Latt, a spokesperson for the opposition's National Unity Government, which coordinates resistance to army rule, told The Associated Press last Friday that the military regime has been trying to retake areas controlled by the resistance ahead of a general election planned for later this year. The poll is widely seen as an attempt to normalize the military's seizure of power through the ballot box and to deliver a result that ensures the generals retain control.
San Francisco Chronicle
17-07-2025
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Myanmar's military government recaptures strategic town from rebels
BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar 's military has recaptured a strategic gateway town from rebel forces after nearly a year, state-media reported Thursday, marking a rare turnaround in the country's northeast, where an alliance of ethnic militias seized a large swath of territory in an offensive that began in late 2023. Nawnghkio, which sits on a major highway trading route linking central Myanmar to China, had been under the control of the Ta'ang National Liberation Army, or TNLA, a group in the Three Brotherhood Alliance, since July last year. Its recapture by the army comes after a long period where the military government had been seen as being on the defensive against an array of rebel forces in the civil war that is being fought over much of the country. Nawnghkio, which also stands on the highway leading to the major military garrison town of Pyin Oo Lwin, was completely captured by the army at noon on Wednesday after nearly 11 months of operations to retake the town, according to a state-run Myanma Alinn newspaper report on Thursday. After more than 500 armed engagements, including 20 major clashes, the bodies of 171 members of the TNLA and its allies were recovered and their ammunition supplies were captured, the report said, adding that the military was working to restore the town's administrative mechanisms, remove land mines and ensure the safe return of residents who had fled to avoid fighting. The newspaper also published photos of the soldiers who had recaptured the town in front of the government offices, hospitals, and markets. However, in a statement posted Wednesday on the Telegram messaging app, the TNLA said it had moved the group's civil administration and service offices in Nawnghkio to safe locations as the military's intensive offensive operations in the past few months made it difficult to carry out work. The groups in the Three Brotherhood Alliance, which also include the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army and the Arakan Army, have been fighting for decades for greater autonomy from Myanmar's central government and are loosely allied with the People's Defense Force, the pro-democracy resistance that emerged to fight military rule after the army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. Since October 2023, the alliance members captured and controlled significant swaths of territory in in northeastern Myanmar near the Chinese border and in western Myanmar. Their victories were seen as forcing the army to go on the defensive over most of the country, while boosting the morale and strategic position of resistance forces. The recapture of Nawnghkio comes more than two months after the TNLA rejected the military's demands to withdraw from five towns controlled by the group, including Nawnghkio, during talks brokered by China in the Chinese city of Kunming in late April. China tries to maintain good relations with both the military government and the groups making up the Three Brotherhood Alliance, but fears that the aggressive posture of the rebel groups destabilizes Myanmar, which is a key Southeast Asian ally of Beijing with large strategic Chinese investments in minerals, energy and infrastructure. Nawnghkio's recapture also comes just more than a week after the military claimed to take back the strategic town of Mobye in southern Shan state, which had been seized since late 2023 by another alliance of ethnic armed organizations in the eastern state of Kayah, also known as Karenni. Myanmar has been in turmoil since the army's 2021 takeover, which led to nationwide peaceful protests that escalated into armed resistance and what now amounts to civil war. Nay Phone Latt, a spokesperson for the opposition's National Unity Government, which coordinates resistance to army rule, told The Associated Press last Friday that the military regime has been trying to retake areas controlled by the resistance ahead of a general election planned for later this year. The poll is widely seen as an attempt to normalize the military's seizure of power through the ballot box and to deliver a result that ensures the generals retain control.
Yahoo
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Myanmar's military government recaptures strategic town from rebels
BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar 's military has recaptured a strategic gateway town from rebel forces after nearly a year, state-media reported Thursday, marking a rare turnaround in the country's northeast, where an alliance of ethnic militias seized a large swath of territory in an offensive that began in late 2023. Nawnghkio, which sits on a major highway trading route linking central Myanmar to China, had been under the control of the Ta'ang National Liberation Army, or TNLA, a group in the Three Brotherhood Alliance, since July last year. Its recapture by the army comes after a long period where the military government had been seen as being on the defensive against an array of rebel forces in the civil war that is being fought over much of the country. Nawnghkio, which also stands on the highway leading to the major military garrison town of Pyin Oo Lwin, was completely captured by the army at noon on Wednesday after nearly 11 months of operations to retake the town, according to a state-run Myanma Alinn newspaper report on Thursday. After more than 500 armed engagements, including 20 major clashes, the bodies of 171 members of the TNLA and its allies were recovered and their ammunition supplies were captured, the report said, adding that the military was working to restore the town's administrative mechanisms, remove land mines and ensure the safe return of residents who had fled to avoid fighting. The newspaper also published photos of the soldiers who had recaptured the town in front of the government offices, hospitals, and markets. The Ta'ang National Liberation Army did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Restrictions on reporting make independent confirmation of the town's recapture virtually impossible, though the army's claim has not been challenged. However, in a statement posted Wednesday on the Telegram messaging app, the TNLA said it had moved the group's civil administration and service offices in Nawnghkio to safe locations as the military's intensive offensive operations in the past few months made it difficult to carry out work. The groups in the Three Brotherhood Alliance, which also include the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army and the Arakan Army, have been fighting for decades for greater autonomy from Myanmar's central government and are loosely allied with the People's Defense Force, the pro-democracy resistance that emerged to fight military rule after the army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. Since October 2023, the alliance members captured and controlled significant swaths of territory in in northeastern Myanmar near the Chinese border and in western Myanmar. Their victories were seen as forcing the army to go on the defensive over most of the country, while boosting the morale and strategic position of resistance forces. The recapture of Nawnghkio comes more than two months after the TNLA rejected the military's demands to withdraw from five towns controlled by the group, including Nawnghkio, during talks brokered by China in the Chinese city of Kunming in late April. China tries to maintain good relations with both the military government and the groups making up the Three Brotherhood Alliance, but fears that the aggressive posture of the rebel groups destabilizes Myanmar, which is a key Southeast Asian ally of Beijing with large strategic Chinese investments in minerals, energy and infrastructure. Nawnghkio's recapture also comes just more than a week after the military claimed to take back the strategic town of Mobye in southern Shan state, which had been seized since late 2023 by another alliance of ethnic armed organizations in the eastern state of Kayah, also known as Karenni. Myanmar has been in turmoil since the army's 2021 takeover, which led to nationwide peaceful protests that escalated into armed resistance and what now amounts to civil war. Nay Phone Latt, a spokesperson for the opposition's National Unity Government, which coordinates resistance to army rule, told The Associated Press last Friday that the military regime has been trying to retake areas controlled by the resistance ahead of a general election planned for later this year. The poll is widely seen as an attempt to normalize the military's seizure of power through the ballot box and to deliver a result that ensures the generals retain control. Solve the daily Crossword
Al Arabiya
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Myanmar's military government recaptures strategic town from rebels
Myanmar's military has recaptured a strategic gateway town from rebel forces after nearly a year, state-media reported Thursday, marking a rare turnaround in the country's northeast, where an alliance of ethnic militias seized a large swath of territory in an offensive that began in late 2023. Nawnghkio, which sits on a major highway trading route linking central Myanmar to China, had been under the control of the Taang National Liberation Army, or TNLA, a group in the Three Brotherhood Alliance, since July last year. Its recapture by the army comes after a long period where the military government had been seen as being on the defensive against an array of rebel forces in the civil war that is being fought over much of the country. Nawnghkio, which also stands on the highway leading to the major military garrison town of Pyin Oo Lwin, was completely captured by the army at noon on Wednesday after nearly 11 months of operations to retake the town, according to a state-run Myanma Alinn newspaper report on Thursday. After more than 500 armed engagements, including 20 major clashes, the bodies of 171 members of the TNLA and its allies were recovered, and their ammunition supplies were captured, the report said, adding that the military was working to restore the town's administrative mechanisms, remove land mines, and ensure the safe return of residents who had fled to avoid fighting. The newspaper also published photos of the soldiers who had recaptured the town in front of the government offices, hospitals, and markets. The Taang National Liberation Army did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Restrictions on reporting make independent confirmation of the town's recapture virtually impossible, though the army's claim has not been challenged. However, in a statement posted Wednesday on the Telegram messaging app, the TNLA said it had moved the group's civil administration and service offices in Nawnghkio to safe locations as the military's intensive offensive operations in the past few months made it difficult to carry out work. The groups in the Three Brotherhood Alliance, which also include the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army and the Arakan Army, have been fighting for decades for greater autonomy from Myanmar's central government and are loosely allied with the Peoples Defense Force, the pro-democracy resistance that emerged to fight military rule after the army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. Since October 2023, the alliance members captured and controlled significant swaths of territory in northeastern Myanmar near the Chinese border and in western Myanmar. Their victories were seen as forcing the army to go on the defensive over most of the country while boosting the morale and strategic position of resistance forces. The recapture of Nawnghkio comes more than two months after the TNLA rejected the military's demands to withdraw from five towns controlled by the group, including Nawnghkio, during talks brokered by China in the Chinese city of Kunming in late April. China tries to maintain good relations with both the military government and the groups making up the Three Brotherhood Alliance but fears that the aggressive posture of the rebel groups destabilizes Myanmar, which is a key Southeast Asian ally of Beijing with large strategic Chinese investments in minerals, energy, and infrastructure. Nawnghkio's recapture also comes just more than a week after the military claimed to take back the strategic town of Mobye in southern Shan state, which had been seized since late 2023 by another alliance of ethnic armed organizations in the eastern state of Kayah, also known as Karenni. Myanmar has been in turmoil since the army's 2021 takeover, which led to nationwide peaceful protests that escalated into armed resistance and what now amounts to civil war. Nay Phone Latt, a spokesperson for the opposition's National Unity Government, which coordinates resistance to army rule, told The Associated Press last Friday that the military regime has been trying to retake areas controlled by the resistance ahead of a general election planned for later this year. The poll is widely seen as an attempt to normalize the military's seizure of power through the ballot box and to deliver a result that ensures the generals retain control.
