Junta pushes toward Kyaukme and Hsipaw after retaking Nawnghkio

Junta troops are advancing deeper into northern Shan State after retaking Nawnghkio, triggering a mass exodus from nearby towns as residents brace for renewed fighting, sources told Myanmar now.More than half the population of Kyaukme, Shan State, has already fled, with locals describing an atmosphere of fear and empty streets. “Only one or two people remain to guard each house,” a Kyaukme resident said. “The rest have already left.” Nawnghkio, Kyaukme, and Hsipaw sit along the Mandalay–Muse highway, a key trade route linking central Myanmar to China. During the battle for Nawnghkio, junta airstrikes also targeted Kyaukme and Hsipaw, prompting widespread fear. In Kyaukme, a diverse town of over 50,000, local markets now operate only in the mornings, with streets empty by midday. Local residents told Myanmar Now that the junta may attempt a push toward Kyaukme via the Gokteik viaduct route, with reinforcements arriving from southern Shan State. On Telegram channels, military propagandists have signaled possible continued offensives from Nawnghkio toward Kyaukme via the Gokteik viaduct. Residents say the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and its allies are preparing defensive positions along key roads and near villages between Kyaukme and Nawnghkio. On July 20, two women, including a nine-year-old girl and a 39-year-old woman, were killed when artillery shells struck the village of Naungpyit.“Shells have been landing repeatedly in Naungpyit and Pintain,” one villager told Myanmar Now. “There are civilian casualties.” Kyaukme has been under TNLA control since August 2024, when it was seized during the second phase of Operation 1027. Operation 1027 was a major coordinated offensive launched on October 27, 2023, by the Brotherhood Alliance against junta forces in northern Myanmar, resulting in the capture of dozens of towns and military outposts across Shan State.At that time, the TNLA captured several junta military command centres, including battalion bases and administrative buildings. The one-month battle left over 200 dead, including soldiers, officials, and civilians. Throughout nearly a year of TNLA administration, junta airstrikes killed at least 20 civilians in Kyaukme, including health workers aligned with the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM) and Buddhist nuns. Schools, hospitals, monasteries, and over 30 civilian homes have been destroyed. A major airstrike on January 25, 2025, hit the town’s public hospital, cutting off all formal healthcare services. “There’s no functioning hospital anymore,” another resident told Myanmar Now. “Private clinics were bombed again last month. No one dares to reopen.” Schools are closed. And the tea trade—the region’s economic backbone—has collapsed due to transport disruptions and bombing threats. With internet and banking systems largely defunct, many locals have relocated to Lashio or Mandalay to escape the worsening conditions. “We can’t open the shops. Farmers can’t sell their harvests,” a Kyaukme resident said. “Traders from lower Myanmar are buying at bargain prices.” Crisis in Hsipaw Similar scenes are playing out in Hsipaw, just 20 miles from Kyaukme. Airstrikes between July 4 and 20 killed two civilians and forced the displacement of more than two-thirds of Hsipaw’s 20,000 residents. “There are so many rumors online that junta forces are coming into the town,” one Hsipaw man said. “People are terrified and fleeing to nearby villages.”Sources say markets are shuttered, and the town is eerily quiet. Makeshift charity-run clinics are the only source of medical aid, while serious cases are taken to Lashio or Mandalay. Communication lines are also disrupted. The TNLA and its ally, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), began their offensive on Hsipaw on July 20, 2024, capturing all junta bases by October 13. Over 30 civilians were killed and more than 80 injured during the two-month battle. Two civilians were also killed in airstrikes after the town came under TNLA control. Despite TNLA’s hold over Kyaukme and Hsipaw, surrounding roads—particularly the route to Lashio—are controlled by various armed ethnic groups including the Kokang, Shan and Wa. Meanwhile, the junta continues to hold strategic positions in the village of Namlan in nearby Tangyan District and has reportedly regrouped surrendered or withdrawn troops from Kyaukme and Hsipaw in that town. A TNLA soldier providing security inside a market in Kyaukme on July 3, 2024. (Photo: AFP) China's influence and renewed junta push During talks in Kunming in April 2025, the junta requested that TNLA return five towns: Hsipaw, Nawnghkio, Kyaukme, Moemeik, and Mogok. TNLA refused but agreed to continue discussions in August. After those talks stalled, the junta resumed heavy offensives. With Nawnghkio retaken, the regime is now focused on pushing toward Kyaukme and Hsipaw and expanding its campaign into central Myanmar and southern Shan. Analysts say the junta is determined to reclaim the strategic trade corridor by force, especially the three towns—Nawnghkio, Kyaukme, and Hsipaw—that it lost during Operation 1027. Since that operation began in October 2023, TNLA has taken control of over 20 towns across northern Shan and Mandalay Region. However, major cities such as Muse, Namkham, and Tangyan remain under junta control. With Chinese backing, the military has re-consolidated forces in Tangyan and Mongyai and has begun redeploying toward Lashio.

Junta pushes toward Kyaukme and Hsipaw after retaking Nawnghkio

Thousands flee northern Shan State towns as Myanmar’s military intensifies its campaign to reclaim key trade corridors from the TNLA, sparking renewed airstrikes and civilian casualties

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