The town of Lashio in northeastern Myanmar has been engulfed in conflict as a powerful ethnic rebel army and its allied resistance forces launched an offensive to capture the strategic garrison town. The town, with a population of about 170,000 people, has been a focal point in the civil conflict that has gripped Myanmar since the military coup in 2021.
Recent reports suggest that the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), a rebel force of the ethnic Chinese Kokang minority, has claimed victory in Lashio after a 23-day operation. While the junta denies these claims, social media posts and images indicate the presence of rebel troops in key areas of the town.
