Clashes broke out near local forces in northern Myanmar today, residents and local media said, in what appeared to be a widening offensive against junta forces.
Gunfire has hit the town of Lashio in northern Shan State, where the army has been in the northeast since yesterday, a resident told AFP. Since last night, we have heard the shots being fired at local army chiefs…we don’t dare to go outside, they said, on condition of anonymity.
Fighting was taking place outside the village, another resident told an AFP reporter, who heard the explosion on the phone. He said the army had closed all roads to Lashio but some shops in the town were still open.
Videos posted on social media showed that a wooden house was destroyed in the fire, and local media reported that six civilians were killed in the bombing. Lashio is located on the highway that connects the second city of Mandalay in China’s Yunnan province.
All flights to Lashio from Yangon’s commercial hub have been canceled since this morning, a Yangon airport source told AFP, without giving further details. The Three Brotherhood, which is made up of armed clans, began attacking militants near Lashio and the Chinese border last October.
The coalition has seized regional and border crossings that provide huge revenue, dealing with the worst fighting regime since it came to power in 2021. China approved a ceasefire between the armed forces and the alliance in January – formed by the Arakan Army (AA), the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA).
Late last month, the TNLA launched a new offensive in Shan State and neighboring Mandalay Region. We three (coalition members) are together, said TNLA General Tar Bhone Kyaw, when asked by AFP if TNLA was involved in the fighting near Lashio.
He did not provide further details. Afp contacted this spider, but cannot reach Manda or Jant.
Mountains of Mianar for the tribe of the tribe: a lot of people who have to be armed of Great Britain in 1948 for the people
