The Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) has retaken control of a strategic hill which junta troops captured from the ethnic armed group earlier this week. The MNDAA and the Myanmar military have been clashing in Mongkoe and Pansai in northern Shan State since early July.
MNDAA fighters took back the hill near Phaung Sai village on Wednesday morning after losing it to junta troops in a battle on Monday night. Eight regime soldiers were killed and three MNDAA fighters were injured in the clash, reported The Kokang, a local media outlet.
“We could take back the hill, but there are regime troops around the football pitch of Phaung Sai village. We attach great importance to that hill. Fierce fighting will continue if they continue to attack us,” a MNDAA commander was quoted by The Kokang as saying after Monday night’s fighting.
On August 28, the MNDAA claimed that it found several bodies of junta soldiers, including two commanding officers, following fighting in Mongkoe that day. Regime spokesman Major General Zaw Min Tun confirmed that regime soldiers were killed and injured in the clash last Saturday, but denied that commanding officers were among the casualties.
Junta troops were also ambushed in Pansai on Monday, with the MNDAA claiming that it killed 15 soldiers and seized weapons in the firefight. There was a further clash in Mongkoe on Monday in which an MNDAA fighter died.
The military regime has been attacking the MNDAA’s Brigade 511 which operates in Mongkoe sub-township. Over 1,900 locals have been forced to flee their homes in Mongkoe and Pansai due to the fighting.
You may also like these stories:
Myanmar’s Shadow Govt Calls on Firms to Shun Junta
UN Ambassador Assassination Plot Shines Spotlight on Shady Myanmar Businessman
Myanmar Junta Chief’s Wild Economic Plans at Odds With Reality
