Resistance group in Myanmar says entire army battalion surrendered to it

A Myanmar army battalion based near the Chinese border surrendered to an alliance of ethnic armed groups that launched a surprise offensive last month against the military, a spokesperson for one of the groups said Wednesday.

The surrender of 261 people 127 soldiers and 134 family members from the infantry battalion in northeastern Shan state appears to be the biggest by regular army forces since widespread armed conflict in Myanmar broke out in 2021 following the military’s seizure of power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February that year. The alliance expects to soon capture Laukkaing, the area’s major city, the spokesperson said. The surrender which has not been announced by the military government and could not be independently confirmed by The AP came two weeks after the Arakan Army, Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army and Ta’ang National Liberation Army, calling themselves the Three Brotherhood Alliance, launched an offensive on Oct 27.