State media reports army gains in the south as it steps up operations to retake areas held by pro-democracy armed groups and ethnic militias

Myanmar’s military has seized a key resistance military command headquarters and 10 other bases in the south of the country, state media reported Tuesday, marking a new gain by the army in the civil war as it seeks control of regions long held by resistance forces.

The capture of the bases in the jungle along the border between Mon state and the Bago region marks the latest setback suffered by pro-democracy armed groups and ethnic militias fighting the army.

The reported capture could not be independently confirmed because the military does not allow journalists free access to the area, but the claim has not been challenged.

The military-backed government, which took office in April following controversial elections earlier this year, has stepped up activity in recent months on the ground and with airstrikes to retake areas controlled by the People’s Defense Force, the armed wing of the major opposition National Unity Government, and ethnic militias that have been fighting the central government for greater autonomy for decades.

The PDF emerged after the army seized power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021 and has since formed loose alliances with ethnic militias fighting the military.

A report in the state-run Myanma Alinn newspaper on Tuesday said the army captured 11 bases operating in the jungle area straddling the border between Mon and Bago during a six-day operation that began a week ago.

The captured positions included the special region command headquarters of the NUG and a battalion headquarters of the Karen National Liberation Army, the armed wing of the Karen National Union, a major Karen ethnic rebel group.

The paper published photos showing soldiers who captured the bases alongside ammunition seized during the operation.

Small arms, ammunition supplies, vehicles, drones and computers were captured after four armed engagements, the report said, adding that the military would continue security operations in the region.

The NUG and KNU did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The captured regions, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) northeast of Yangon, the country’s largest city, have seen intense conflict since the 2021 military takeover that prompted widespread public protests. The violent suppression of the demonstrations by government security forces triggered an armed resistance that has led to civil war.

The NUG’s special region command headquarters said in a previous social media statement that it had 12 PDF battalions, seven drones with specialized support units, as well as six combat and defence units under its command. It also said it was conducting military operations across the southern Kayin and Mon states, as well as the Bago region. Kayin state is also known as Karen state.

In another statement at the end of September, the NUG headquarters said its communications outpost had been hit by airstrikes involving two fighter jets, killing five members of its force, including a former soldier who had defected.