Myanmar’s military administration announced on Monday, 5th August that it had lost contact with the top commanders of a strategically vital army headquarters in the northeast, lending validity to Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Arm, a rebel group’s claims of seizing the base.
The loss of the army’s Northeast Command in Lashio City would be the most serious setback for Myanmar’s military administration this year, as an onslaught by an alliance of powerful ethnic minority forces makes significant progress in the civil conflict. As per the reports, the seizing of the base includes the critical Muse border crossing with China and the vital crossroads at Kyaukme, paving the door for strikes on Pyin Oo Lwin, Myanmar’s second-largest city.
The Military Junta Chief, after an alliance of ethnic armed groups confirmed the development on August 5th and said that Myanmar’s military had withdrawn from some positions close to China’s border to prioritise the ‘safety of people’.
Shan State in the eastern part of Myanmar has been shaken by violence since late June after the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) launched a campaign against the military along a main trade route to China. “About the situation in Shan State, security forces withdrew their positions by considering the security of current areas and the safety of people,” Junta Chief, Min Aung Hlaing said in a speech on August 5th.
“The government will continually strive to ensure peace and stability – not only in Shan State, but the entire nation,” he added. His remarks appeared only days after the MNDAA announced that it had conquered a regional military command following weeks of fighting, dealing a significant blow to the junta.
Alliance fighters fully captured the headquarters of the northeast military command in Lashio, according to a statement issued Saturday. Major-General Zaw Min Tun, the Junta’s spokesman, further confirmed on Monday that the military had lost contact with high-command commanders due to intensive combat.
The collapse of the operations of Myanmar’s North Eastern Command in Lashio, the northern Shan State capital, is a big setback for the military. Established in 1972, the regional command won multiple battles against the Communist Party of Burma and ethnic forces.
Throughout its decades-long stay in Lashio, the Myanmar military developed impressive defensive buildings. The facility oversaw all military operations from the neighbouring Mandalay Region in the west to the Chinese border in the north and east. It was one of 14 regional military commands around the country. Now, the contact has been lost.
Reports mention that Senior General Min Aung Hlaing’s leadership is in serious question after the fall of the North Eastern Command in Lashio. In his address on Monday, he blamed the external forces (China) for interfering in the civil war leading to such chaos. However, the Myanmar military considered superior in terms of hardware and manpower also failed to prevent the loss of the military command headquarters in northeastern Shan. This is despite the country possessing warplanes, helicopters, heavy artillery, naval ships, armoured vehicles, and mounted missiles.
The Brotherhood Alliance, made up of the MNDAA, Ta’ang National Liberation Army, and the Arakan Army, along with their allies, has had some success against the Myanmar military since October last year, despite having few heavy weapons and drones. The regime used a ceasefire period from January to June, arranged by China, to build up defences around Lashio. To capture Lashio, the MNDAA surrounded the city and its 10,000 defenders, which included about 6,000 regular soldiers and militia members.
The MNDAA assembled three brigades and steadily decimated the Myanmar armed forces’ outer defensive positions, gradually decreasing the defense line and infiltrating the city’s interior. The ethnic Kokang army and its allies demonstrated a high level of military expertise, local support, intelligence, and strategic clarity, which helped them position themselves favourably in the fight and win the Battle of Lashio.
It is worth noting that China pressured the MNDAA and its supporters to stop attacking Lashio. It was believed that China wanted to wait and see if the government would extend the emergency rule at the end of July. As anticipated, the regime followed through, and Min Aung Hlaing now serves as interim president. It is worth noting that the fall of Lashio and the regional command occurred three days after the prolongation of the emergency rule.
The failure in Lashio will undoubtedly have shocked the military. As per the reports, the military supporters are filled with feelings of defeat, fear, rage, frustration, and humiliation.
The MNDAA first claimed the capture of the Northeast Command and Lashio on July 25th, but the news was premature because the army continued to fight. The MNDAA announced on Saturday that the organization has finally captured the Northeast Command headquarters and defeated the last army units in Lashio.
There were reports of fighting in the city on Sunday, and photographs of detained soldiers and equipment circulated extensively on social media, implying that the MNDAA had seized the base. The MNDAA shared a photo of its fighters posing in front of a sign outside Northeast Command.
Maj. Gen. Zaw Min Tun, Myanmar’s ruling military council spokesperson, said in a statement on Monday that it had lost contact with commanders at the Northeast Command headquarters Saturday night and had unconfirmed reports that some had been arrested by the MNDAA.
