The Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) reports that it is continuing its efforts to take control of Tawng Hkam, a village located about 20 miles south of the town of Nawnghkio in northern Shan State.
The TNLA, which captured most of Nawnghkio Township in early July, initiated its offensive on Tawng Hkam on August 10. Nway Yay Oo, a spokesperson for the TNLA, informed Myanmar Now that the fighting in the area is ongoing and remains intense.
Tawng Hkam, situated in the southern part of Nawnghkio Township, hosts the junta’s Artillery Operations Command (AOC) 902 and is strategically located on key routes to southern Shan State’s Lawksawk Township and Pyin Oo Lwin in Mandalay Region.
Currently, the only base under the control of AOC 902 is operated by Artillery Battalion (AB) 354. On August 29, TNLA-led forces seized the bases of AB 206 and AB 406, both located in Nawnghkio Township.
According to a TNLA source, junta troops from the two captured bases have retreated to Tawng Hkam, joining regime forces already stationed there.
“The fighting has been intense in Tawng Hkam. The AB 206 and AB 406 troops have regrouped at the AOC 902 base and launched counterattacks. They are trying to retake their hilltop outposts, but their efforts are being successfully resisted,” the source stated.
He added that reinforcements have also joined the battle, including a unit led by a brigadier general from Light Infantry Division 55, based in Kalaw, southern Shan State.
The TNLA has received support from other groups resisting the regime, including the Mandalay People’s Defence Force and the Danu People’s Liberation Army.
In addition to deploying ground troops, the junta has conducted airstrikes to defend its remaining military positions in Nawnghkio Township. A TNLA statement released on September 22 indicated that Y-8 transport aircraft were used to drop ammunition at the AOC 902 base in Tawng Hkam.
A source close to the situation noted that the fighting has been prolonged due to difficulties in preventing junta troops from reaching Tawng Hkam from the south.
“The fighting has dragged on due to challenges in intercepting reinforcements from southern Shan State,” the source said, adding that Shan armed groups allied with the TNLA have allowed regime forces to pass through their territories without resistance.
Captain Zin Yaw, a former Myanmar military officer now involved in the anti-regime resistance, stated that the junta has evacuated the families of troops stationed in Tawng Hkam to prevent them from surrendering for their safety, as has occurred in other areas.
“To keep their troops fighting in Tawng Hkam, the military relocated their families to Taunggyi in southern Shan State, home to the Eastern Regional Military Command,” he said, citing military intelligence sources.
Pro-junta social media pages have claimed that the fighting in Tawng Hkam has led to significant casualties for the TNLA and its allies.
Meanwhile, the regime continues its aerial assaults on Nawnghkio. On September 21 and 22, it dropped several 500-pound bombs on the town, a tactic it has employed almost daily since the TNLA took control.
According to a recent TNLA statement, at least 15 civilians, including children, have been killed in these attacks, with 27 houses, two monasteries, and a school also destroyed.
