The Myanmar junta has admitted that the senior officers of its North Eastern (NE) Command headquarters in Lashio, the capital of northern Shan State, were captured after the base fell to resistance forces on Saturday.
Junta spokesperson Major General Zaw Min Tun said Naypyitaw’s last communication with senior officers at NE Command was on the afternoon of Aug. 3, and there has been no contact since then.
“Senior officers from the NE Command closely supervised and personally participated in the battle. Communication with the senior officers from the command lasted until 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 3 but has since been lost,” Zaw Min Tun said in a recorded audio file released by military mouthpiece Myawady on Monday morning.
“Preliminary reports indicate that some of these senior officers were captured by terrorist insurgents,” he said without specifying who was captured or by whom. The regime commonly refers to its opponents as “terrorists”.
It has been confirmed that the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and allied revolutionary forces have completely seized the NE Command, known as “Yamakha”, taking full control of the base on the morning of Aug. 3 after a month of fighting.
Following its capture, base commander Major General Soe Tint, regional military chief Brigadier General Thant Htin Soe, and No. 1 Military Operations Command chief Brigadier General Myo Min Htwe were reportedly captured by the MNDAA. The Irrawaddy has not been able to independently verify the reports.
Photos captioned in Chinese purportedly showing the trio have been circulating on social media. The MNDAA was not reachable for comment by publishing time.
The fall of the NE Command— the first time in the history of the Myanmar military that it has lost a major regional command—is the biggest blow the military regime has suffered since seizing power in a coup in February 2021.
One of 14 junta military regional commands scattered across the country, the NE Command oversaw military operations across northern Shan State, including areas near the Chinese border. It was a particular source of pride to the military, with many historic achievements to its name since it was formed 52 years ago.
The junta spokesman said, “The battalions under the command of the North Eastern Military Command fiercely resisted the enemy with all their might. They fought bravely and with full strength.”
He said wives and family members took part in the fighting as part of the command’s last line of defense, and some were killed. He vowed that the regime would “continue to carry out [its] duties”.
The MNDAA, a member of the Brotherhood Alliance of ethnic armies that launched Operation 1027 in October last year, and its allies resumed attacks on junta positions defending Lashio on July 3 after a Chinese-brokered ceasefire collapsed, and claimed to have seized the town after nearly a month of fighting.
