Myanmar’s military has seized a key resistance military command headquarters and 10 other bases in the south of the country, regime media reported Tuesday, as a regime counteroffensive seeks to retake control of regions long held by resistance forces.
The capture of the bases in the jungle along the border between Mon State and Bago Region marks the latest setback suffered by pro-democracy and ethnic armed groups fighting the military over control.
The reported capture could not be independently confirmed because the military does not allow journalists free access to the area, but the claim has not been challenged.
The pro-military administration, which took office in April following controversial elections earlier this year, has stepped up activity in recent months on the ground and with airstrikes to retake areas controlled by the People’s Defense Force (PDF), the armed wing of the major opposition National Unity Government (NUG), and ethnic armed groups that have been fighting the central government for greater autonomy for decades.
The PDF emerged after the military seized power from the elected National League for Democracy (NLD) government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021 and has since formed loose alliances with ethnic armed groups fighting the military.
A report in the state-run Myanma Alinn newspaper on Tuesday said the army captured 11 bases operating in the jungle area straddling the border between Mon and Bago during a six-day operation that began one week ago.
The captured positions included the special region command headquarters of the NUG and a battalion headquarters of the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), the armed wing of the Karen National Union (KNU), a major Karen ethnic armed group.
The paper published photos showing soldiers who captured the bases alongside ammunition seized during the operation.
Small arms, ammunition supplies, vehicles, drones and computers were captured after four armed engagements, the report said, adding that the military would continue security operations in the region.
The NUG and KNU did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The captured regions, about 75 miles (120 km) northeast of Yangon, the country’s largest city, have seen intense conflict since the 2021 military takeover that prompted widespread public protests.
The violent suppression of the demonstrations by security forces triggered an armed resistance that has led to civil war.
The NUG’s special region command headquarters said in a previous social media statement that it had 12 PDF battalions, seven drones with specialized support units, as well as six combat and defense units under its command.
It also said it was conducting military operations across the southern Karen and Mon states, as well as the Bago region.
In another statement at the end of September, the NUG headquarters said its communications outpost had been hit by airstrikes involving two fighter jets, killing five members of its force, including a former soldier who had defected.
AP
