On Monday morning, the Three Brotherhoods—Arakan Army (AA), Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), and Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA)—blew up the Hsenwi Bridge on the Lashio to Muse highway with landmines to prevent the State Administration Council (SAC) from sending reinforcements in northern Shan State.
A local man commented, “We heard that the Burma army convoys would be sent from eastern and southern Shan State.”
Without the bridge, SAC ground troops can’t cross the river by vehicle to reach Chin Shwe Haw in Laukkai Township. The MNDAA seized the town along the border with China during its recent 1027 operation.
Also on Monday morning, Three Brotherhoods attacked SAC troops at a checkpoint on the Nam Hkai Bridge between Namphetka and Kutka. The source explained that the Nam Hkai and Hsenwi bridges are crucial for transportation in northern Shan State but he couldn’t say whether the resistance fighters also seized and destroyed the former bridge.
SAC soldiers in Kutkai town have shelled the area, and the regime has carried out many airstrikes since the Three Brotherhoods’ campaign started. According to MNDAA, the armed groups, including People’s Defence Forces, have seized over 60 military posts and camps in multiple townships since the operation began on Friday.
TNLA’s political wing, the Palaung State Liberation Front, said that its Brigade 5 took the junta’s Mongli camp in Hsenwi Township at around 8 pm on Sunday.
