Fighting intensifies as Myanmar junta forces push closer to Mogok

Resistance forces say they have engaged in fierce clashes in recent days as Myanmar’s military continues its push to recapture the famed ruby-mining centre of Mogok in a two-pronged offensive. The fighting has been most intense to the west of the town along the Thabeikkyin-Mogok road, where junta troops have been advancing since the military retook the town of Thabeikkyin in July. Late last month, regime forces seized the resistance-held village of Lan Lal Kyit, bringing them closer to the key Phawtaw junction, where the Thabeikkyin-Mogok road connects to the road linking the region to Mandalay. In recent days, resistance forces have retreated further east, according to an officer from one of the anti-regime groups fighting the junta. “We were forced to withdraw from Khun Hnit Maing and have since reached War Hpyu Taung,” the officer said on Sunday, referring to two villages just west of the Phawtaw junction. Another officer who spoke to Myanmar Now on Monday said that the clashes had not yet reached the junction. “The fighting is taking place in War Hpyu Taung, and the situation [at the Phawtaw junction] remained calm this morning,” he said. Residents reported that the 44-mile stretch of road from the junction to Mogok has been temporarily closed, with the sound of heavy artillery fire echoing in the area. The town of Mogok, seen in November 2020 (Photo: Myat Moe Thu) According to the spokesperson for the Mogok People’s Defence Organisation, the regime has carried out relentless airstrikes and drone attacks in support of its ground troops. “This is less a direct clash and more an offensive by the junta, supported by air and drone strikes, resulting in casualties among the resistance forces,” he said. The forces fighting to halt the regime’s eastward advance include troops under the command of the National Unity Government (NUG), the People’s Liberation Army, and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), which controls Mogok. Meanwhile, another column has been advancing northward from Nawnghkio, which was also under TNLA control until it was recaptured by regime forces in July. The TNLA, along with allied NUG-led forces and the Danu People’s Liberation Army, has been fighting to slow the progress of this column. The junta army has been moving north along the Nawnghkio–Mogok road since the second week of August, when it seized Doe Pin, a village located about 50 miles south of Mogok. The TNLA captured Mogok in July of last year, giving it control of lucrative gem-mining operations that have long been a major source of revenue for Myanmar’s military rulers. Since retaking Lashio, northern Shan State’s largest city, in April, the regime has moved aggressively to reclaim territory that it lost across the region last year to allied resistance forces. It has also stepped up its offensives in Sagaing and Mandalay regions, as well as other areas where anti-regime forces gained significant ground in the wake of Operation 1027, launched against the junta in October 2023. Throughout these offensives, the junta has carried out extensive aerial bombardment, driving most residents to flee.

Fighting intensifies as Myanmar junta forces push closer to Mogok

The regime has been steadily advancing on the ruby-mining centre since recapturing the towns of Thabeikkyin and Nawnghkio in July

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