Myanmar army soldiers killed as fighting continues near Shan State capital

At least five regime soldiers were killed on Wednesday as clashes between the Myanmar military and the Pa-O National Liberation Army (PNLA) continue near the Shan State capital Taunggyi. According to the PNLA, fighting broke out early Wednesday after junta troops mounted an assault on a PNLA column in Hopong Township, some 15 miles east of Taunggyi. The battle continued for several hours, until the regime forces retreated and began shelling the surrounding area, the group added. The two sides have engaged in almost non-stop fighting for more than a week, as the military and an allied ethnic militia, the Pa-O National Army (PNA), attempt to regain control over the Pa-O Self-Administered Zone (SAZ) nearly a month after the conflict began. The PNA’s political wing, the Pa-O National Organisation, has controlled the Pa-O SAZ—comprising the southern Shan State townships of Hopong, Hsihseng, and Pinlaung—since it was established by a previous regime in 2008. “There is heavy military action at Hsihseng and Hopong. Every day, there are big and small battles. Even on days when there is no ground battle, the junta is shelling continuously,” said an official from the Pa-O Youth Organisation (PYO). The conflict began after the PNLA and allied Karenni forces captured the town of Hsihseng, located about halfway between Taunggyi and the Karenni State capital Loikaw to the south, late last month. Although the anti-regime forces were soon forced to retreat from the town, the military has so far failed to clear the area, resulting in ongoing clashes that have claimed a number of civilian casualties. On Monday, heavy junta shelling near Hsihseng hit three vehicles carrying displaced residents back to the town. Although Myanmar Now initially reported that eight people were injured in that attack, it has since been confirmed that the casualties included seven dead and six injured. A damaged house is seen in the village of Kyaukkachar on February 21 (PNLA) The following day, heavy artillery fire destroyed 10 houses in the village of Kyaukkachar, southeast of Hopong, while on Wednesday, villages between Hopong and the town of Mong Pawn, about 25 miles to the east, were also hit by shelling and airstrikes. Last week, at least four civilians, including a six-month-old child, were killed by indiscriminate artillery attacks on villages between Hopong and Hsihseng. At present, junta troops from the military’s Light Infantry Battalions (LIB) 425 and 426 control the village of Bangyin, located about halfway between Hopong and Hsihseng, and continue to use it as a base for their ongoing shelling of the surrounding area. Meanwhile, LIB 423 troops remain stationed north of Hsihseng, while the PNLA says it has captured an LIB 424 position in the town. “There are no more army or militia troops in Hsihseng, but they are continuing to carry out artillery, drone, and aerial attacks on the town,” said Khun Rein Yan, spokesperson for the PNLO/A. The current conflict began on January 20, when the pro-junta PNA commandeered a PNLA weapons convoy near the village of Sanhpu in Hopong Township. The PNLA, a ceasefire group that had previously avoided clashing with the regime, soon joined forces with ethnic Karenni resistance fighters, enabling it to capture Hsihseng. According to the latest estimates, the PNA may have more than 4,000 troops under its command, while the PNLA’s numbers are believed to be in the hundreds. Figures compiled by the PYO show that Myanmar’s military carried out a total of 271 airstrikes and 419 artillery attacks in southern Shan State between January 21 and February 17, killing 26 civilians and injuring 37 others.

Myanmar army soldiers killed as fighting continues near Shan State capital

The junta and an allied Pa-O militia have been trying to regain control of lost territory in southern Shan State since late last month

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