Myanmar military recaptures strategic town from rebels after a year, government says

BANGKOK AP Myanmar s military has recaptured a strategic gateway town from rebel forces after nearly a year state-media stated Thursday marking a rare turnaround in the country s northeast where an alliance of ethnic militias seized a large swath of territory in an offensive that began in late Nawnghkio which sits on a major highway trading direction linking central Myanmar to China had been under the control of the Ta ang National Liberation Army or TNLA a group in the Three Brotherhood Alliance since July last year Its recapture by the army comes after a long period where the military ruling body had been seen as being on the defensive against an array of rebel forces in the civil war that is being fought over much of the country Nawnghkio which also stands on the highway leading to the major military garrison town of Pyin Oo Lwin was entirely captured by the army at noon on Wednesday after nearly months of operations to retake the town according to a state-run Myanma Alinn newspaper assessment on Thursday After more than armed engagements including major clashes the bodies of members of the TNLA and its allies were recovered and their ammunition supplies were captured the summary reported adding that the military was working to restore the town s administrative mechanisms remove land mines and ensure the safe return of residents who had fled to avoid fighting The newspaper also published photos of the soldiers who had recaptured the town in front of the administration offices hospitals and markets The Ta ang National Liberation Army did not directly respond to requests for comment Restrictions on reporting make independent confirmation of the town s recapture virtually impossible though the army s claim has not been challenged However in a message posted Wednesday on the Telegram messaging app the TNLA mentioned it had moved the group s civil administration and facility offices in Nawnghkio to safe locations as the military s intensive offensive operations in the past inadequate months made it complicated to carry out work The groups in the Three Brotherhood Alliance which also include the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army and the Arakan Army have been fighting for decades for greater autonomy from Myanmar s central executive and are loosely allied with the People s Defense Force the pro-democracy resistance that emerged to fight military rule after the army seized power from the elected cabinet of Aung San Suu Kyi in February Since October the alliance members captured and controlled key swaths of territory in in northeastern Myanmar near the Chinese dividing line and in western Myanmar Their victories were seen as forcing the army to go on the defensive over preponderance of the country while boosting the morale and strategic position of resistance forces The recapture of Nawnghkio comes more than two months after the TNLA rejected the military s demands to withdraw from five towns controlled by the group including Nawnghkio during talks brokered by China in the Chinese city of Kunming in late April China tries to maintain good relations with both the military regime and the groups making up the Three Brotherhood Alliance but fears that the aggressive posture of the rebel groups destabilizes Myanmar which is a key Southeast Asian ally of Beijing with large strategic Chinese investments in minerals power and infrastructure Nawnghkio s recapture also comes just more than a week after the military claimed to take back the strategic town of Mobye in southern Shan state which had been seized since late by another alliance of ethnic armed organizations in the eastern state of Kayah also known as Karenni Myanmar has been in turmoil since the army s takeover which led to nationwide peaceful protests that escalated into armed resistance and what now amounts to civil war Nay Phone Latt a spokesperson for the opposition s National Unity Establishment which coordinates resistance to army rule notified The Associated Press last Friday that the military regime has been trying to retake areas controlled by the resistance ahead of a general polling planned for later this year The poll is widely seen as an attempt to normalize the military s seizure of power through the ballot box and to deliver a upshot that ensures the generals retain control Source