A joint force of Pa-O and Karenni fighters captured the town of Hsihseng in southern Shan State on Thursday after a day of fierce clashes, according to local sources.
The town, located about halfway between the Karenni State capital Loikaw and the Shan State capital Taunggyi, is part of the Pa-O Self-Administered Zone (SAZ).
A resident of Hsihseng who spoke to Myanmar Now late Thursday said the flag of the Pa-O National Liberation Army (PNLA), an ethnic armed group that had previously avoided clashes with regime forces, had been raised around the town, although fighting had not completely stopped.
“There is still some shooting, as the junta army still has some troops here,” he said, adding that the PNLA and its Karenni allies started firing on the regime forces at around 11am that morning.
In response, the military began carrying out airstrikes on the town, whose. . .
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