Regime forces have captured at least eight outposts of the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) during their offensive in northern Shan State’s Nawnghkio Township, according to regime telegram channels.
Four civilians including a child were reportedly killed during the offensive, which comes despite a ceasefire the military regime has declared in the wake of the March 28 earthquake.
The Brotherhood Alliance of three ethnic armed groups including the TNLA had also declared the unilateral ceasefire until the end of May to let earthquake rehabilitation efforts proceed.
But the TNLA on Thursday said the junta conducted an offensive near Thayet Cho village in resistance-held territory in Nawnghkio Township the same morning, causing renewed fighting.
The junta’s Artillery Battalion 902, which is stationed nearby, shelled the area 16 times while a junta drone dropped two bombs on TNLA targets.
One of the artillery shells struck a wedding in the village, killing four civilians including a child and injuring seven others.
Clashes were also reported around Thayet Cho Village on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Two more clashes were reported near Yar Pyin and Naung Lin Villages in the township on Thursday as TNLA troops fought back against regime troops advancing into their areas. The junta conducted artillery attacks and drone strikes there too, the ethnic army said.
During the clash near Naung Lin, junta drones dropped five chemical bombs, it added.
The junta also conducted drone and artillery strikes on Ommathi and Taung Hla village and used chemical bombs in their assaults, the TNLA said.
A day earlier, clashes were reported around Taung Hla and Yar Pyin.
Posting photos of dead TNLA soldiers, the junta telegram channels reported that the regime had seized eight TNLA outposts in Nawnghkio between May 4 and 8.
The TNLA and other members of the ethnic Brotherhood Alliance have faced increasing pressure from the Chinese government to stop fighting the junta.
Last month, Beijing forced the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) to surrender the northern Shan capital of Lashio, which it had liberated with the help of several resistance groups.
Lashio sits on National Highway 3, the main trade route from the Chinese border.
At China-brokered peace talks with the TNLA on April 28 and 29, the regime demanded the surrender of five other towns in northern Shan State and Mandalay Region, mostly occupying strategic spots along the trade route.
The TNLA refused, sparking intensified Chinese pressure and junta bombardments of its territory.
