Myanmar Junta Pledges Counter-Attack As Ethnic Minority Seize Towns

Myanmar junta's leader issued a resolute response on Friday, vowing to retaliate after an alliance of ethnic minority groups launched a coordinated offensive, seizing towns and blocking vital trade routes to China.

This marks the most extensive and synchronized challenge to the military junta's authority since it seized power through a coup in 2021. Over a week, intense clashes have erupted across a broad region in northern Shan state, compelling more than 23,000 people to flee their homes, according to reports from the United Nations. Analysts regard this as a significant and perhaps the most serious confrontation the junta has faced since assuming control. The Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), and the Arakan Army (AA) jointly announced on Thursday that they had successfully captured numerous outposts and four towns. Moreover, they blocked crucial trade routes leading to China. In response to these developments, General Min Aung Hlaing, the Myanmar Junta's leader, declared that the government would launch counter-offensives against the armed groups. He made this announcement in an address to members of the State Administration Council, as the junta refers to itself, and it was reported in the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper. Furthermore, the general accused the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), located in the neighbouring Kachin state, of launching attacks on "transport facilities" and military bases. He issued a stern warning that the military would take retaliatory action. Notably, the Myanmar junta confirmed the loss of control over Chinshwehaw town on the border with China's Yunnan province. The town is a significant trade hub, and its capture represents a strategic shift in the ongoing conflict.