Daijiworld Media Network - Yangon
Yangon, Nov 10: Myanmar's military has captured a key resistance command headquarters and 10 other bases in the country's south, marking a significant battlefield gain in its ongoing civil war against pro-democracy armed groups and ethnic militias.
The bases were located in a jungle area along the border between Mon state and the Bago region. The reported capture represents another setback for resistance forces that have been fighting to regain power following the military coup in February 2021.
According to the state-run Myanma Alinn newspaper, the military seized all 11 positions during a six-day operation that began about a week ago. The captured facilities included the special region command headquarters of the opposition National Unity Government (NUG) and a battalion headquarters of the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), the armed wing of the Karen National Union (KNU).
The newspaper published photographs of soldiers at the captured bases alongside ammunition seized during the operation. It reported that the military recovered small arms, ammunition supplies, vehicles, drones and computers following four armed engagements. Security operations in the region would continue, it added.
The reported capture could not be independently verified because journalists are not permitted free access to the area. The NUG and KNU had not immediately responded to requests for comment.
The military-backed government, which took office in April following controversial elections earlier this year, has intensified ground operations and airstrikes in recent months to regain territories controlled by resistance groups.
These include the People's Defense Force (PDF), the armed wing of the NUG, and ethnic militias that have fought successive central governments for greater autonomy over several decades.
The PDF emerged after the military overthrew the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. It subsequently established loose alliances with ethnic armed organisations opposing military rule.
The captured positions are located around 120 kilometres northeast of Yangon, Myanmar's largest city. The region has witnessed intense fighting since the 2021 coup, which triggered widespread protests. The military's violent suppression of the demonstrations eventually led to an armed resistance movement and a prolonged civil war.
In an earlier statement on social media, the NUG's special region command headquarters said it had 12 PDF battalions, seven drones with specialised support units, and six combat and defence units under its command. It also said its forces were conducting operations across southern Kayin and Mon states and the Bago region. Kayin is also known as Karen state.
In another statement at the end of September, the headquarters said an airstrike involving two fighter jets had hit its communications outpost, killing five members of its force, including a former soldier who had defected from the military.