Myanmar junta soldiers defeated by the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) in Mandalay Region and northern Shan State are impersonating civilians, according to residents.
The TNLA and its allies have surrounded Mogoke in Mandalay Region and Mongmit in northern Shan State and are searching for junta soldiers, said TNLA spokeswoman Lwei Yay Oo.
She said: “Junta soldiers who fled their bases are hiding in houses and impersonating civilians. We are searching for them everywhere.”
TNLA troops are reportedly attacking junta soldiers deployed near a pagoda in Mogoke Township and attacking the 21st Military Operations Command and Infantry Battalion 223 near Shaung Taung Oo pagoda in Mongmit Township..
Eight junta positions guarding junta battalion headquarters in Mogoke and Mongmit townships have fallen, according to the TNLA.
A Mongmit resident said fighting has continued since early this month. “The regime is shelling continuously and its Y-12 planes and jet fighters are bombing and strafing,” he said.
The People’s Liberation Army and Mandalay People’s Defense Force (PDF) are fighting alongside the TNLA.
The regime has airdropped weapons and ammunition for its troops in Mongmit Township, said the TNLA.
On Saturday regime shelling near the Myanmar Apex Bank in Mogoke started fires, which residents put out during ongoing attacks.
Light Infantry Battalions 348 and 276 and Infantry Battalion 22 are based in Mongmit with an analyst saying the regime is flying in reinforcements because it cannot use the roads.
Anti-regime forces are attacking junta positions in Madaya and Singu townships on the road between Mandalay and Mogoke, stopping regime reinforcements from reaching the town by road.
Junta troops hold three positions, including a hilltop base, police station and General Administration Department in eastern Mogoke. A woman was killed by junta shelling on Saturday.
A Mogoke PDF source said: “It is difficult to enter the town from the east. The hilltop camp controls access and the regime has made a proper stand. Junta soldiers are everywhere.”
The Brotherhood Alliance, including the TNLA, launched Operation 1027 in October last year, seizing hundreds of junta positions and command centers, 24 battalion headquarters, around 20 towns and trade routes with China. A truce was brokered on January 10 by China.
However, the TNLA resumed the operation on June 25, seizing western Mogoke by June 30 with action now focused on the east of the township.
