Myanmar junta forces, TNLA engage in heavy fighting in southern Nawnghkio Township

Major clashes have been reported in northern Shan State’s Nawnghkio Township as regime forces attempt to drive the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) out of a key village, according to sources close to the group. Tawng Hkam, located at the southern edge of the township, has been heavily contested since the TNLA and its allies seized control of the town of Nawnghkio, some 20 miles to the north, in July of last year. “The military is currently pushing into Tawng Hkam and we’ve had to withdraw our forces from a few positions,” a source close to the TNLA told Myanmar Now on Wednesday. Strategically located on key routes to southern Shan State’s Lawksawk Township and Pyin Oo Lwin in Mandalay Region, Tawng Hkam hosts the junta’s Artillery Operations Command (AOC) 902 and other military positions. Last August, TNLA-led forces captured two artillery battalions, AB 206 and AB 406, in Tawng Hkam. However, the regime was able to retain control of the AOC 902 headquarters as well as the AB 354 base in the nearby village of Ma Gyi Yae. The AB 206 base has reportedly been recaptured by the military regime during its latest push in Taung Hkam, but this could not be confirmed at the time of reporting. Pro-junta Telegram channels and statements from anti-regime forces have reported casualties on both sides since fighting began in the area last month. Some junta troops have also been taken prisoner, according to a group involved in the fighting. “Battles are still ongoing in Tawng Hkam. We captured five regime soldiers on Tuesday,” said a spokesperson for the Danu People’s Liberation Army (DPLA), an ethnic armed group allied with the TNLA. In a video posted online by the group, one of the captives can be seen unexpectedly reuniting with his brother, a member of the DPLA. There were also reports on Monday of airstrikes on the village of Kyauk Gu, located about 18 miles south of Tawng Hkam in neighbouring Lawksawk Township. No civilian casualties have been reported. On January 27, junta forces reportedly captured a TNLA hideout in Nar Sho, a village about one mile south of Tawng Hkam, according to pro-junta Telegram channels. Caption: Aftermath of a junta airstrike on the town of Nawnghkio after it was captured by TNLA-led forces in July 2024 (TNLA)

Myanmar junta forces, TNLA engage in heavy fighting in southern Nawnghkio Township

Sources close to the ethnic Ta’ang army say it has been forced to withdraw from some positions near the key village of Tawng Hkam

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