Myanmar Spring Chronicle – Scenes from February 16
(MoeMaKa) February 17, 2026
Salween River Bridge in Hpasawng Blown Up; Simultaneous Military Operations in Karen and Karenni Areas
After the military junta recaptured Hpasawng town in Karenni (Kayah) State, PDF forces reportedly blew up the Salween River bridge (Hpasawng), which spans the Salween River, to block passage, according to People’s Radio Myanmar.
In mid-last year, revolutionary armed groups in Karenni (Kayah) State had attacked and seized military battalions in Hpasawng. About eight months later, junta forces launched a counteroffensive and managed to retake the town in recent days.
According to reports, the bridge was destroyed to prevent junta troops that had reached Hpasawng from advancing eastward across the Salween River toward the Thai border town of Mae Set.
Fighting continues around Hpasawng. The defending forces are reported to include the KNDF and the KNSA (White Star).
Militarily, the destruction of the Salween Bridge (Hpasawng) aims to block junta forces from easily reaching Mae Set. However, this will also cut off trade and transport routes along the Demawso–Hpruso–Hpasawng–Mae Set corridor. Residents in these areas are concerned about potential shortages of goods and rising prices.
During the five years of conflict since the coup, several strategically important bridges in Karenni (Kayah) State have been destroyed, including the Pon Chaung Bridge, Htu Chaung Bridge, and now the Salween Bridge (Hpasawng). When river-crossing bridges are damaged, transportation delays and further increases in commodity prices typically follow.
During and after Operation 1027, many bridges were also destroyed in northern Shan State amid junta counteroffensives. Along the Mandalay–Naungcho–Hsipaw–Lashio road, numerous bridges were blown up to prevent enemy advances, forcing people to rely on ferries or take long detours. This has created difficulties in transporting goods and for patients needing urgent medical care.
In Karenni (Kayah) State, after the launch of the “1111 Operation” on November 11, 2023, resistance forces seized significant territory and managed to control parts of Loikaw for months. However, following the MNDAA ceasefire in northern Shan and Chinese pressure on the UWSA to halt weapons and financial support to other armed groups in southern and northern Shan State, resistance forces in southern Shan and Karenni have not been able to sustain continuous offensives as they did during the 1111 Operation period.
The junta has gradually launched renewed offensives in 2025 to retake territories it lost in 2023 and 2024. It has regained areas around Loikaw, as well as Mobe, Demawso, and most recently Hpasawng.
At the same time as its offensives in Karenni, heavy fighting has intensified in southern Myawaddy Township in Karen State, particularly in the Min Let Pan and Phalu areas. The junta appears to be attempting to tighten its control over bases and territory within Myawaddy Township.
Relations between the junta, the BGF (now renamed KNA under Saw Chit Thu), and the DKBA have shifted repeatedly over the past two years. Currently, the junta is working to consolidate greater control over Myawaddy and is deploying manpower, weapons, and air power to assert control over southern areas, including KK Park and Min Let Pan, where online scam operations are reportedly based.
On the northern Shan front, the situation has largely stabilized. The junta’s enforcement of the conscription law has enabled it to recruit hundreds of thousands of new soldiers. Combined with drones and other weapons and technologies purchased from China and Russia, this has helped the junta recover from the series of military setbacks it faced in 2024.
Unless ethnic armed organizations, NUG-aligned resistance forces, and independent armed groups can implement a nationwide, coordinated military strategy and cooperation framework, there is a growing possibility that the junta may gradually retake the towns and territories it previously lost.