(Yangon, Comprehensive News) The Myanmar military government claims that after a year-long military operation, it has successfully recaptured the strategic town of Nawnghkio in Shan State, which had been occupied by ethnic armed forces.
Myanmar's state media outlet, "The Global New Light of Myanmar," carried a rare full-page report on Thursday (July 17), extensively covering the military’s victory. It revealed that after 566 armed engagements, the armed forces managed to retake the town on Wednesday (16th) through combined ground and air tactics.
The report was accompanied by several photographs of soldiers raising their rifles in celebration, and it admitted that officers and soldiers were killed in the early stages of the fighting, but did not disclose specific casualty numbers.
Nawnghkio is located in central Myanmar, east of Mandalay, and only about 40 kilometers from the crucial military training base of Pyin Oo Lwin, making it strategically vital. The town was captured last year by the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), an ethnic armed organization, and has since been a primary target for a military counter-offensive.
Despite the military's high-profile declaration of victory, the TNLA has yet to acknowledge the loss. In a statement, it only noted that due to the military's fierce offensive, civilian administration was no longer sustainable, and administrative systems had been relocated to safer areas.
Military analysts indicated that this battle marks a significant setback for the coalition of ethnic armed groups, signaling a major reversal in their tactical advance in Shan State, and weakening their coordination capability with southern resistance forces.
However, analysts also warned that while the military has retaken Nawnghkio, it is still far from fully controlling northern Shan State, and coming military operations may be even more intense.
The TNLA and its ally, the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA, commonly known as the Kokang Army), earlier returned control of the key northeastern Shan city of Lashio under Chinese mediation. However, the TNLA did not agree to withdraw from Nawnghkio at the peace talks in April this year, prompting the military government to step up airstrikes.
Since the 2021 coup, Myanmar’s situation has remained unstable, with ongoing and intensifying conflict between ethnic armed organizations and the military government, and no sign of a halt in fighting in many areas.