Sun, 10 Dec 2023

Myanmar military accepts 'heavy assaults' from anti-coup forces

Khalid Umar Malik
18 Nov 2023, 23:14 GMT+10

YANGON, Myanmar - Myanmar's military regime has acknowledged that it is facing "heavy assaults" from anti-coup forces, who launched a coordinated offensive at the end of last month, claiming control of several border towns and dozens of military outposts.

According to Zaw Min Tun, troops were facing "heavy assaults from a significant number of armed rebel soldiers" in Shan State, Kayah State, and Rakhine State.

He added that anti-coup fighters were using "hundreds" of drones to drop bombs on military posts and that some sites had to be evacuated.

"We are urgently taking measures to protect against drone bomb attacks effectively," he said late Wednesday in a statement.

The Three Brotherhood Alliance, comprised of the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), and Arakan Army (AA), launched the new offensive, codenamed Operation 1027, on October 27 in Shan State near the Chinese border.

Its goal is to overthrow the "oppressive military dictatorship," and fighting has spread to other parts of the country, including western Rakhine and Chin states, which border Bangladesh and India.

According to the United Nations, the fighting has displaced over 200,000 people and killed at least 75 civilians, including children.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was "deeply concerned by the expansion of conflict," according to UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, who added that fighting had forced more than two million people to flee their homes.

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