This content was originally published by Radio Free Asia, and it is now licensed for reprint.
A spokesperson for an rebel group fighting Myanmar’s dictatorship in Shan state on Monday reported to Radio Free Asia that it has taken entire control of a significant town.
The Ta’ang National Liberation Army, or TNLA, announced its capture of the last coup center in Hsipaw on Sunday and plans to use its status to attack other military installations there.
The Three Brotherhood Alliance, which led the TNLA to launch Operation 1027 almost a year ago in an effort to acquire control of the military that seized power in a 2021 revolution, is a member of the TNLA.  ,
Heavy fighting for the supremacy of Lashio, Nawnghkio, and other northern Shan towns has sparked issue from China, which borders the state south, and has forced it to close formerly occupied border crossings.  ,
China has tried to protect its interests by brokering , ceasefires , between the junta and empire individuals, but these have n’t lasted longer.  ,
A five-month ceasefire ended in June, which is when Operation 1027 first started. Since then the TNLA has captured Kyaukme, Mongmit and , Nawnghkio cities in northern Shan status, as well as Mandalay country’s Mogoke area.  ,
Two months later, the TNLA turned its sights on Hsipaw. It captured , most of the area on Aug. 12 but the dictatorship held on to an army tent.
On Sunday, the Infantry Battalion 23 basic eventually fell to the TNLA, director Lway Yay Oo said.  ,
” We managed to completely handle Hsipaw”, she told RFA. ” According to our record, there must be over 50 captured military and over 100 people of military families. We will relieve the family users”.
Neither side has reported any deaths and RFA’s calling to Shan country’s dictatorship spokesperson , Khun Thein Maung went unanswered, since did attempts to reach coup director Major General Zaw Min Tun.
According to a former military officer and social commentator, Infantry Battalion 23’s troops finally made the decision to flee.
” It is true they were defeated, but it can also be described as a withdrawal”, said the critic, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to security concerns. ” This is because studies indicate that people, including the wounded, retreated up”.
The TNLA is more apt to strike near coup shelters because it has taken complete control of Hsipaw. It started pursuing light infantry regiments 503 and 504 about a mile away after capturing the majority of the community in mid-August.
The coup has been hitting up with daily strikes. More than 80 bombs were dropped on TNLA positions by a Y-12 aircraft on Friday, the team claimed in a statement released the day afterward.  ,
In over two months of fighting in Hsipaw, junta strikes and artillery flames have killed 32 people, including young kids, and injured 100 more people, according to local civic society organizations.
Residents of Hsipaw are concerned about potential air raids because of the threat of junta airstrikes, according to a resident of the town.
” When the junta’s troops are present, the fighting intensifies, and heavy weapons land in the city, causing many casualties”, he said. ” Without a military camp, there is only one main threat: airstrikes. In the past, I feared both artillery and airplanes, but now, my primary fear is airplanes”.
Lashio under fire
Another member of the Three Brotherhood Alliance has been removing territory from junta forces in Shan state. Since the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, or MNDAA, captured the , junta’s military headquarters , in Lashio in July, and took full control of the town in August, civilians have borne the brunt of junta retaliation through , frequent airstrikes , and shelling.
Junta bombs killed three villagers on Monday morning in the township’s Ei Naing village, residents said.  ,
Three men in their 40s died and two other people were injured, including a child, according to a resident who did n’t want to be named for fear of reprisals.
” The men who were attacked died on the spot. They did n’t have time to flee because the bomb fell straight on their house”, he said.  ,
The injured were moved to a safe location to receive medical treatment, he added.
The bombs destroyed a church and five houses, according to an MNDAA-associated aid group.
Residents said that the junta shelled the area frequently during battles close to Ei Naing village, leading to the evacuation of the majority of the 1, 000 residents.
Many returned to Lashio after the MNDAA took control of the township,  , but fled again following Monday’s attack.  ,
In September, the MNDAA said it had cut ties with Myanmar’s shadow National Unity Government. It said it would  , work with China , to bring peace and announced it had no plans to capture large towns in Shan state.  ,
Days later, the junta bombed Lashio, and peace negotiations never happened.
Over 20 junta airstrikes on Lashio have resulted in the deaths of three people and injure more than 100 since June, according to an MNDAA statement from October 4.