At least 10 Myanmar military soldiers were killed when members of the Northern Alliance of ethnic armed organisations (EAOs) attacked regime bases in Nampakha village in northern Shan State’s Kutkai Township early on Monday morning, according to local sources.
From 1am until after 3am, the Northern Alliance troops—mainly from the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA)—reportedly attacked four locations including the Namhpakha-based Light Infantry Battalion 123 and a police station.
During a clash at the electricity office en route to Kutkai from the village, 10 soldiers including an officer from the military council and a staff member of the office were killed, a Namhpakha humanitarian worker familiar with the case said. At least three soldiers were wounded in other clashes, and some weapons were confiscated, he added.
A woman was also injured after being shot in the leg.
The local source, who is also ethnic Ta’ang, remarked that the clashes indicate that the EAOs involved are opposed to the coup regime.
“Even if they don’t openly say it openly due to pressure from China, they still condemn the military coup. Currently, our Ta’ang people are also being shot at and killed. So I think the army will strike against the military when they’re weak,” he said.
The Myanmar military’s presence has declined in Nampakha since the February 1 coup, he added.
The local observer said the prospect of fighting igniting in northern Shan State would depend on the intensity of crackdowns against the locals by the military. In recent days, the military council has been shooting at protesters in Kyaukme.
“If this continues to happen, the people are not just going to stand by, they’re going to make demands. And the EAOs will not be in a position to resist these demands. If their people are being hurt, there will be more clashes,” he explained.
TNLA information officer Maj Mai Aik Kyaw could not be reached for a comment regarding the recent clashes.
A news report by northern Shan State-based news agency Shwe Phee Myay stated that 11 members of the military council’s armed forces including the deputy commander of a battalion were killed in the early morning clash on Monday with soldiers from the TNLA and MNDAA, as well as the Arakan Army. The three groups together form the Three Brotherhood Alliance.
The article also included photos of the weapons reportedly confiscated by the Northern Alliance forces from the military.
In addition to TNLA and MNDAA, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA)—also a Northern Alliance member—has also been fighting with the military council’s armed forces in northern Shan State, and recently ambushed three of the military’s fuel trucks travelling from Muse along the Shan-China border.
The KIA also carried out attacks on junta troops in Putao and Mohnyin in Kachin State and Katha Township in Sagaing Region on May 30. The KIA joined forces with a local People’s Defence Force (PDF) in a clash with the military near He Na village in Katha.
