Six Junta-Militia Troops Killed in Clash With Shan State Army- South in Eastern Myanmar

A 30-minute clash between Myanmar military forces and the Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS)/ Shan State Army-South (SSA-S) left six junta-aligned troops dead in eastern Shan State’s Mongping Township on August 22, according to an RCSS spokesperson.

The fighting broke out around noon near the Sinmaung and Tarkaw village tracts when a 60-strong column—comprising troops from the junta’s Light Infantry Battalion 314, led by Capt. Than Naing Soe, alongside allied militia members—entered RCSS-controlled territory without prior authorization.

"A column of junta troops and militia members entered our territory, so we fought for nearly half an hour," RCSS spokesperson Maj. Sai Kham San told Shan Herald Agency for News.

He added that the junta column retreated after losing six men and fired 60mm mortar rounds toward RCSS positions. "Our troops have orders to open fire on anyone who trespasses without permission."

Maj. Sai Kham San noted that the presence of heavy weaponry indicated the junta column had prepared for an engagement rather than conducting a routine patrol.

The clash underscores ongoing military friction in eastern Shan State despite formal political dialogue.

The RCSS is part of the 7 EAO Alliance, a coalition of ethnic armed organizations engaged in talks with the junta’s National Solidarity and Peacemaking Negotiation Committee (NSPNC).

However, repeated territorial incursions by regime forces continue to trigger localized armed conflicts, similar to a September 2024 clash in Mongping where RCSS forces repelled a 100-strong junta-militia assault.