Myanmar’s junta leader Min Aung Hlaing held an emergency meeting with his military command chiefs on Tuesday after his northern Shan State infantry commander was killed on Sunday.
The commander of 99th Light Infantry Division (LID) Colonel Aung Kyaw Lwin became the first divisional-level commander to die in action since the 2021 coup. He died in an attack by the Brotherhood Alliance on Panlong Hill in Mongkoe along the Chinese border.
Arakan Army (AA) troops attacked the hilltop outpost on Sunday morning using drones and seized the stronghold by the evening. Prisoners of war confirmed that Aung Kyaw Lwin had been killed in a drone attack.
A regime helicopter reportedly carried his body away.
Aung Kyaw Lwin was moved from the 8th Military Operations Command in Tanintharyi Region to the 99th LID in August.
The Kokang media group reported on Monday that the Brotherhood Alliance had seized 112 junta positions, including key outposts, in northern Shan State.
Min Aung Hlaing has promised a counterattack near the Chinese border but his troops still appear to be losing ground with analysts saying it is the regime’s biggest challenge since the 2021 coup.
The Brotherhood Alliance includes the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance, Ta’ang National Liberation Army and AA. It launched Operation 1027, named after its first day, October 27, in northern Shan State.
