Myanmar rebels seize major military base, capture many senior officers

On August 5, Zaw Min Tun, Myanmar’s deputy minister of information, said the government army had been unable to contact officers at the military headquarters in the northeastern town of Lashio, which has been besieged after weeks of fierce fighting in and around it.

"It has been discovered that senior officials have been arrested," Zaw Min Tun said in an audio message on the Telegram app, adding that authorities were working to verify the situation.

A soldier of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA). Photo: Reuters

Earlier on August 3, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) rebel group posted photos of its troops at a military base in Lashio town. The group claimed to have taken over the base on July 25 but continued to fight for full control.

"The MNDAA has achieved complete victory after destroying all remaining enemy troops and completely capturing the military command post in the northeast," the group said in a statement on social media, accompanied by images of its troops.

The loss of Lashio, the first of 14 regional military commands to fall to the rebels, marks a major blow for Myanmar's military government, which suffered a series of heavy losses in northern Shan state near the Chinese border last year.

At the time, the rebel offensive, known as Operation 1027, was halted after Beijing intervened to help broker a ceasefire, but that collapsed when fighting resumed in June in Shan State, where Lashio is located. China has called for dialogue and a cessation of hostilities.

Myanmar's military government is under unprecedented pressure with a spreading armed insurgency amid a stagnant economy .

On August 4, three other anti-government armed groups fighting the Myanmar military along the Thai-Indian border congratulated the MNDAA on its successful attack in Lashio.

"The rapid collapse of the Myanmar military's Northeastern Command is a clear demonstration of how weak the Myanmar military has become," said Jason Tower at the US Institute of Peace .

Ngoc Anh (according to Reuters)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/phien-quan-myanmar-chiem-can-cu-quan-su-lon-bat-giu-nhieu-si-quan-cap-cao-post306419.html