HSIPAW: The Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), an armed group in Myanmar, has captured the town of Hsipaw, a strategic location on a highway connecting Myanmar to China’s Yunnan province, the group and local residents said.
The TNLA said that it had captured the last remaining Myanmar military base in Hsipaw after weeks of intense fighting. “We took all army bases and there is no more Myanmar army in the town,” said TNLA spokesperson Lway Yay Oo on Monday.
Hsipaw, a town with a population of about 20,000, lies along a crucial highway that links Myanmar’s second-largest city, Mandalay, with the China border. The highway facilitates hundreds of millions of dollars in trade annually between the two nations.
Images from the town showed TNLA fighters, clad in green camouflage, walking past buildings marked with bullet holes. They were also seen occupying trenches previously held by junta troops, with scattered debris and abandoned military equipment visible. A uniform bearing the insignia of the Myanmar army’s artillery unit was found in one of the captured buildings.
A local resident, speaking on condition of anonymity to AFP, confirmed that the TNLA had taken control of the town on Sunday. While no active fighting was ongoing, fears of potential military airstrikes continued.
The junta has not issued any statements about the loss of Hsipaw, and the area has experienced an internet blackout, limiting the flow of information.
According to the TNLA, approximately 100 Myanmar soldiers have been “disarmed” since their attack began in August, although details regarding casualties on either side have not been disclosed.
The TNLA is part of the “Three Brotherhood Alliance,” which includes the Arakan Army (AA) and the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA). The alliance launched an offensive across northern Shan state in October, capturing significant territory and dealing one of the heaviest blows to the junta since its 2021 coup.
The ongoing conflict follows the collapse of a ceasefire earlier this year, with the alliance resuming its attacks in June. In August, the MNDAA seized the town of Lashio, another key point on the China-Myanmar highway, further weakening the junta’s hold on the region.
Myanmar has been mired in turmoil since the military overthrew Aung San Suu Kyi’s government in February 2021, causing widespread unrest and conflict between the junta and various armed groups across the country.
