Myanmar military will hit back at ethnic armed groups' offensive: junta chief / Photo: Handout - MYANMAR MILITARY INFORMATION TEAM/AFP/File
-
World No.1 Sinner pulls out of Shanghai Masters to delay return
-
Ethiopia's Tigray rebels abandon regional capital as govt advances
-
Red Bull's Verstappen grabs pole position for Bahrain GP
-
Bulgaria's Tsar Samuel returns 'home' after 1,000 years
-
India beat Pakistan in blockbuster as golfer Kim wins 'crazy' gold
-
'Glad it's over': Kim powers to Games gold and military exemption
-
India beat arch-rivals Pakistan to win Asian Games cricket gold
-
After 11 World Cups, football finally comes home for one Indian fan
-
Ethiopia's Tigray rebels abandon regional capital as govt advances: journalist
-
Marc Marquez wins sprint at Japan MotoGP, Martin grabs pole
-
Tom Kim powers to Games gold and exemption from military service
-
Alcaraz fends off Arnaldi to reach Japan Open quarters
-
Split loyalties for Indian football fans at Brazil friendly
-
Antonelli tops times in final practice at Bahrain GP
-
India-Pakistan blockbuster brings cricket fever to Japan baseball field
-
Gauff digs deep to beat Osorio in China Open second round
-
Wong waiting on Rafa after winning Asian Games tennis gold
-
Fresh protests to hit Spain after housing measures defeated
-
With Russia next door and rising costs, Latvia goes to the polls
-
'He's here with me': Japan cycle queen dedicates gold to late brother
-
Penalty hero rues empty seats as Games hosts Japan win football gold
-
Japan Olympic chief says 'lot more' athletes at Games than expected
-
North Korea fires ballistic missile after Seoul's apology demand
-
Asian carmakers besting US rivals at home, China poised to strike
-
US regulator finds Boeing 737 MAX software bug 'not a safety concern'
-
Widgets & Web Offers All-Inclusive Investor Relations Websites for Public Companies, IPOs and SPACs
-
Ohtani 'managing' injuries as Dodgers launch MLB post-season
-
Adams named new US captain to 2030 World Cup
-
Botched US execution leaves murderer unconscious on ventilator: lawyers
-
China a better influence in Latin America than US: poll
-
Cornell rape case exposes sexual violence at US colleges
-
Judge pauses construction of border project in Texas national park
-
France held by Italy in Zidane's homecoming after Olise stunner
-
Belgium's De Bruyne fires double to sink Turkey, France held by Italy
-
Ethiopian pro-government militia claims Tigray airport as regional tensions spike
-
US jobs data boosts stocks as oil prices dip
-
Ohtani shaking off injuries as Dodgers launch MLB post-season
-
US Supreme Court to hear high-stakes climate case
-
Sea levels to rise in California as coastal wave surges up west coast
-
Trump expected to name intel chief Clayton as AI czar: reports
-
New rallies urged in France as protests disrupt over 730 schools
-
Argentina unveils passports-for-investment scheme
-
Djokovic survives China Open scare, Sabalenka starts strong
-
Brazil election debate chaos sparks censorship row
-
King Charles to evoke colonial 'darkest days' on Caribbean tour
-
England's Carse charged by cricket body over nightclub incident
-
Tesla shares jump after global car sales top estimates
-
Amazon vows $1 bn for data center towns, decries 'myths'
-
DR Congo Ebola outbreak killed more than 4,000: official figures
-
Oil prices drop on G7 fuel release, US jobs data boosts stocks
Myanmar military will hit back at ethnic armed groups' offensive: junta chief
Myanmar's junta chief said the military will strike back at ethnic armed groups waging an offensive in the north of the country, seizing towns and blocking trade routes to China, state media reported Friday.
Fighting has raged for a week across a wide swathe of Shan state in what analysts say is the biggest military challenge to the junta since it seized power in 2021.
The Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), the Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) and the Arakan Army (AA) said on Thursday they had captured dozens of outposts and four towns and blocked vital trade routes to China.
"The government will launch counter-attacks" against the armed groups, Min Aung Hlaing said in a speech to members of the State Administration Council, as the junta calls itself.
MNDAA and TNLA fighters had "attacked local security camps and departmental offices in the Kokang region" bordering China, he said, according to the Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper.
He also accused the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) -- an ethnic armed group in neighbouring Kachin state -- of attacking "transport facilities" and military bases, and warned the military would retaliate.
On Wednesday a junta spokesman said the military had lost control of Chinshwehaw town, a major trade hub on the border with China's Yunnan province.
China called on Thursday for an "immediate" ceasefire in Shan state -- home to a planned billion-dollar rail link in its Belt and Road infrastructure project.
Myanmar's borderlands are home to more than a dozen ethnic armed groups, some of which have fought the military for decades over autonomy and control of lucrative resources.
Some have trained and equipped newer "People's Defence Forces" that have sprung up since the 2021 coup and the military's bloody crackdown on dissent.
The AA, MNDAA and TNLA say the military has suffered dozens killed, wounded and captured since Friday.
The remoteness of the rugged, jungle-clad region -- home to pipelines that supply oil and gas to China -- and patchy communications make it difficult to verify casualty numbers in the fighting, which the United Nations fears has displaced thousands.
B.Mahmoud--SF-PST
