Myanmar Spring Chronicle – October 13 Scene
(MoeMaKa) October 14, 2024
Military Council Preparing to Retake Lost Towns
The Military Council is reportedly preparing to retake some of the towns it lost during the two phases of Operation 1027. In the first phase of the operation, which began at the end of October last year, TNLA and MNDAA forces, alongside other allied groups, seized key towns in northern Shan State, including Laukkai, Chinshwehaw, Kwanlon, Theinni, Namkham, Pangsai, Hopang, Panglong, and Kutkai.
In the second phase of the operation, which resumed this July, the military council lost more significant ground, including the towns of Kyaukme, Naungcho, Thibaw, and Lashio. Notably, the Eastern Northern Military Command Headquarters in Lashio was also seized by the resistance forces. This marked the first time since the 1949-1952 civil war that a military command headquarters had been captured, dealing a severe blow to the Military Council’s morale and prestige.
Since the loss of Lashio in early August, the Military Council has re-established its Eastern Northern Military Command in Mine Yae and has been building up forces for a counterattack. Troops and ammunition have been transported from southern Shan State, indicating preparations for a large-scale offensive to retake Lashio, a strategically important city both administratively and economically due to its position on the China-Myanmar border trade route.
While MNDAA has been governing Lashio and consolidating control over the city and its surrounding areas, the Military Council is making moves to launch a counteroffensive. Residents of Lashio have already endured nearly a month of continuous shelling throughout July, resulting in significant loss of life, widespread displacement, and the destruction of homes and property. Many civilians were forced to flee, and reports of looting and theft have surfaced in the aftermath.
The mass exodus from Lashio, with tens of thousands of people leaving the city, is one of the largest internal displacements in the past three to four years, comparable only to the situation during the battle for Loikaw. MNDAA has since invited residents to return to the city, but the renewed airstrikes by the Military Council have caused further casualties and destruction.
As the Military Council now gears up to retake Lashio, civilians fear a new wave of violence, death, and destruction. The repeated offensives and town seizures have turned the lives of locals into an unending nightmare, with ongoing casualties, losses of homes, and the collapse of their livelihoods. Many residents express the desire to avoid further tragedies, having already endured unbearable losses in family, property, and security.
The cycle of attacks and town takeovers has become a persistent, traumatic reality for the local population, resembling an unending nightmare.