After junta troops re-entered and regained control of Mogok Town in Mandalay Region, clashes with the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) have erupted on the road linking Mogok to Momeik (Mongmit) in northern Shan State, according to a KIA spokesperson.

On November 30, at around 8:00 pm, junta troops departing Mogok and heading toward Momeik encountered clashes with the KIA, according to KIA spokesperson Colonel Naw Bu.

“We can confirm that fighting broke out between Momeik and Mogok at around 8:00 pm last night. We’re not sure whether it continued this morning, as we’ve lost contact. That’s all we can say for now,” he told MNJ.

Mogok Town had been under the control of the Palaung ethnic armed organization Ta'ang National Liberation Army (TNLA). However, under a China-brokered ceasefire agreement, the TNLA withdrew on November 29, allowing junta troops to enter and take up positions.

Another source said that around 8:15 am on November 30, junta troops leaving Mogok clashed with KIA Brigade 4, Battalion 34 forces outside the town.

There were also clashes between the junta and the People’s Defence Force (PDF) to the west of Mogok Town, according to local sources. The PDF had been an ally of the TNLA when it took control of Mogok.

“Fighting also broke out in the west of Mogok between the PDF and the junta,” a source reported.

The sounds of artillery shelling continued in the western part of Mogok Town until about 11 a.m. on December 1.

 

The TNLA had controlled Mogok and Momeik for over a year but were forced to return the towns to the junta following Chinese intervention. By the end of November, thousands of junta troops had re-entered Mogok Town.