Fighting erupts in Mogok after junta takes over from TNLA

Fighting broke out in Mogok, Mandalay Region, and in Mongmit, northern Shan State, after junta troops moved in to take control of the towns under a handover agreement with the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), according to local sources. Mogok residents told Myanmar Now on Monday that fighting continued in the eastern edge of the town just two days after a large number of junta troops entered the area, about 28 miles south of Mongmit by road in northern Shan State. “Clashes began around 5:30pm yesterday in western Mogok,” a local resident said. “We started hearing gunfire again around 11:00am today as the military advanced into the eastern edge of the town.” On Monday, at least 200 junta troops advanced towards Ohn Kaing village, on the eastern outskirts of Mogok in an attempt to set up positions on the strategic hills overlooking the town, sources said. In Mogok, soldiers quickly took up positions at a school, a hospital, and a military base in the town centre, while also stationing troops along key route—including Pan Ma Hteik on the Mogok–Kyaukme road, Pein Pyit on the Mogok–Myitkyina road, Yae Htwet Gyi, the police station, and the main western checkpoint.Despite the withdrawal of the TNLA, many armed groups are still active in Mogok Township including Mandalay People Defense Force (MDY-PDF), the Mogok Strategic Command and People’s Defense Forces (PDF) under the command of the civilian National Unity Government, including the Pyin Oo Lwin District’s Battalion 512 and 513, as well as the township’s People Defense Team.These other resistance forces control territory on the outskirts of Mogok and have reportedly outlined clear boundaries to the military. Although the TNLA has withdrawn from the town, other resistance forces operating in the area have engaged the junta when their troops enter resistance zones.The military sent a large convoy through TNLA-controlled territory along the Nawnghkio–Mogok road, reaching Mogok on Saturday, local sources said.“It was already getting dark in the evening when they came in,” a man from Mogok told Myanmar Now. “Everyone was staying indoors as it was late at night. No one goes out at nighttime.”The junta convoy is reportedly made up of conscripted soldiers, who were forced into military service and are armed with drones and other weaponry, resistance sources said. “When junta troops entered the town at the request of the Ta’ang army, nothing happened—no clashes or gunfire,” a resistance fighter told Myanmar Now, referring to the TNLA. “They number around 1,000, and some are likely to advance onwards to Mongmit.” Mogok and Mongmit sit at the heart of Myanmar’s gemstone belt: an area long contested by ethnic armed groups and the military for its economic value and strategic location. Brief clashes also erupted near Mongmit on Sunday as a 40-vehicle junta convoy pushed into the town. According to the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) spokesperson Colonel Naw Bu, the junta convoy heading towards the two towns were intercepted by resistance groups, but he did not provide further details about the involvement of KIA fighters in the ambush. Under pressure from China, the TNLA agreed to hand over Mogok and Mongmit to the junta during a ninth round of talks on October 29, in a bid to preserve the ceasefire. In the days leading up to the convoy’s arrival, the TNLA tightened security across Mogok, restricting movement in and out of the town from November 28. “Fighting could intensify in Mogok in coming days but the TNLA’s role here has come to an end,” a resistance fighter told Myanmar Now. “The Ta’ang army will not be involved in the fighting that follows, either directly or behind the scenes.”

Fighting erupts in Mogok after junta takes over from TNLA

Clashes broke out as Myanmar regime troops entered resistance controlled territory on the outskirts of the town

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