Anti-junta groups come under heavy fire as they fight to take another base near Pyin Oo Lwin

Groups opposed to Myanmar’s military regime say they are continuing their push to capture another base near the junta stronghold of Pyin Oo Lwin, even as they face a steady barrage of airstrikes and heavy artillery fire. The latest target, an army outpost near the village of Kyauk Me Lay in northern Shan State’s Nawnghkio Township, has been fending off attacks from a combined force of Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and Mandalay People's Defence Force (MDY-PDF) troops since last Saturday. Located some 20 miles north of Pyin Oo Lwin on the Pyin Oo Lwin-Mogok highway, Kyauk Me Lay is less than three miles south of the village of Than Bo, where the two groups captured another junta base on January 3. As of Wednesday, fighting for control of the Kyauk Me Lay outpost was still ongoing, according to Ko Osmond, the information officer for the MDY-PDF, which operates under the command of the publicly mandated National Unity Government (NUG). “The junta is carrying out a lot of airstrikes, using both fighter jets and Mi-35 attack helicopters, on average five or six times a day,” he said. A spokesperson for the TNLA described the fighting as “intense,” adding that the regime was also using heavy artillery in a bid to prevent the allied forces from overrunning the outpost. The regime unleashed at least 40 rounds of heavy artillery fire and more than 30 airstrikes over the previous five days, the TNLA spokesperson told Myanmar Now on Wednesday. During last week’s attack on the base at Than Bo, which fell within 24 hours despite the regime’s efforts to defend it with a series of airstrikes, the anti-junta forces were able to seize a substantial cache of weapons and ammunition and also took a number of prisoners, including a lieutenant colonel. Lt.-Col. Thet Aung, centre, was taken prisoner during the capture of the junta army base in Than Bo on January 3 (MDY-PDF) Lt.-Col. Thet Aung is the highest-ranking junta officer to be captured by an NUG-led PDF group, the NUG’s Ministry of Defence said in a statement. Both sides have suffered casualties in the recent fighting near Pyin Oo Lwin, and there have also been reports of civilians being killed or wounded by the regime’s airstrikes. However, details regarding loss of life or property were not available at the time of reporting. Sources also told Myanmar Now that troops stationed in Pyin Oo Lwin, which hosts a number of elite military academies, have been told to prepare to defend themselves in the event of an attack. However, this could not be independently confirmed. Myanmar’s military has been largely on the defensive since the TNLA and the two other members of the Brotherhood Alliance, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army and the Arakan Army, launched their Operation 1027 offensive in northern Shan State in late October. Since then, they have captured scores of junta bases and outposts and taken control of key towns on the border with China or along major trade routes. Last Friday, they were also joined by the United Wa State Army, Myanmar’s most powerful ethnic armed group, in seizing the border town of Hopang. With the push towards Pyin Oo Lwin in Mandalay Region, the allied forces are moving closer to the regime’s power centres and testing the strength of a military that has faced unprecedented resistance since seizing power in a coup in February 2021.

Anti-junta groups come under heavy fire as they fight to take another base near Pyin Oo Lwin

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