The Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA) Information Department has reported that intense fighting broke out in Nyan Taw village and Shwe Thone village in Naung Cho Township, Northern Shan State, with the military council using nearly 80 artillery shells and drone strikes. On the morning of June 18, when military council forces advanced towards Nyan Taw and Shwe Thone villages in Ta’ang Region’s Brigade 3 territory, the TNLA engaged in defensive operations. During the battle, the military council deployed 38 artillery shells and 10 drone-dropped bombs as supporting fire.
The military council also deliberately targeted civilian areas in Shwe Nyaung Pin village and Ye Maung Tan village, where no fighting was taking place, firing 8 artillery shells and dropping 23 bombs from drones. Similarly, on June 16 at 11:41 AM, the military council’s artillery attack on Sam Say village resulted in two civilian men being wounded by shell fragments. Despite the Three Brotherhood Alliance extending their unilateral ceasefire for another month to allow humanitarian assistance for earthquake victims, the military council has taken advantage of this situation to launch continuous offensives, leading to frequent clashes in Naung Cho Township, according to the TNLA Information Department.
As daily battles continue in Naung Cho Township, military council supporters have been spreading false propaganda claiming successful advances in their operation to recapture Naung Cho town. A pro-military nationalist monk visited the frontline areas of Umm Tee and Umm Khar villages and falsely reported through social media on June 18, amid ongoing fighting, that the offensive was progressing well and that Naung Cho town would soon return to its original state. However, a Naung Cho resident clarified that intense fighting continues daily, with the military forces caught in a cycle of advancing, suffering casualties, retreating, reinforcing, and repeating the process.
