On 3 September, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, the leader of the military council, stated that the State Administration Council (SAC) would take necessary action against cities occupied by ethnic armed groups. His comments were made during a meeting in Taunggyi, Southern Shan State, where the Eastern Regional Military Command is headquartered.
The junta leader indicated that responses would be based on intelligence and the activities of ethnic armed groups. He urged civilians in towns and villages under the control of these groups to be cautious and avoid exploitation.
He accused ethnic armed groups of exploiting the ongoing political crisis to expand their territories, claiming they were unlawfully occupying towns and villages. He further alleged that these groups were coercing displaced residents to return and forcibly recruiting people to serve as human shields against military counterattacks.
Political analyst U Than Soe Naing remarked that the junta lacks sufficient military strength, suggesting that airstrikes and artillery attacks would likely be used against these territories.
“The SAC leader will resort to airstrikes as usual, without concern for whether revolutionary forces or civilians are hit. He needs to recognize who is truly engaging in terrorist acts,” explained Political analyst U Than Soe Naing.
Fighting between the junta and revolutionary forces has intensified, with the military losing control of the Northeastern Regional Military Command in Lashio and several towns. This comes in the wake of the Three Brotherhood Alliance’s Operation 1027, which launched its second phase on 25 June in Northern Shan State.
On 2 September, the junta officially designated the Arakan Army (AA), Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), and Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), collectively known as the Three Brotherhood Alliance as terrorist groups.
