After months of fierce warfare, militants ultimately took control of Kyaukme, a town on the primary commercial route connecting the rest of Myanmar to the Chinese border, last year.
Many considered the Ta’ang National Liberation Army’s (TNLA) conquest of Kyaukme, which crosses Asian Highway 14, better known as the Burma Road, during World War II to be a crucial success for the opposition. It raised the possibility that the military junta, which had taken control in 2021, was losing support. This small hill town’s erratic destiny serves as a clear example of how drastically the military balance in Myanmar has suddenly swung in favour of the junta.
Kyaukme has suffered greatly. When the town was under the control of the TNLA, the military conducted daily airstrikes that destroyed large portions of it. Outside the town, insurgent positions were struck by artillery and drones, and 500-pound bombs were dropped by Air Force jets. Many people left the town, but now that the military has taken it back, they are starting to return.
There is heavy fighting going on every day, in Kyaukme and Hsipaw,” TNLA spokesman Tar Parn La said to the BBC earlier this month. “The military has more troops, heavier weaponry, and air power this year. We are making every effort to protect Hsipaw.
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