The Three Brotherhood Alliance launched a drone bombing attack targeting junta’s Northeastern Regional Command Headquarters situated in Lashio Township, northern Shan State on July 3.

The regional command headquarters, which had been conducting near-constant artillery shelling since the night of July 2, was bombed by the Alliance using drones. At the same time, the Alliance successfully defeated and drove off the troops under the junta’s 505th Light Infantry Battalion during the Battle of Nawngmawn, a village located 16 miles from Lashio.

“Bombs were being dropped from drones on the junta’s regional headquarters while the Alliance drove away the 505th Battalion, which had advanced hastily from Namlan, in a preemptive strike at Nawngmawn. The town remains surrounded by Alliance forces a few miles from the outskirts, and fierce fighting continues”, a military source said.

Currently, there is minimal traffic in town due to ongoing artillery shelling by the junta in Lashio. A resident mentioned that the sounds of shelling and drone bombings are blending together, making them difficult to distinguish. Additionally, an artillery shell reportedly struck the golf course in town.

On July 3, the junta closed off entry and exit points in Lashio, while fighting is also intensifying in nearby villages including Ei Nai, Mong Ting, Man Ai, Koong Nyaung, and Shakhite.

Around 7:00 am on July 3, junta troops shot down a drone belonging to the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), a member organization of the Alliance, carrying a mortar shell over No. 1 Ward in Lashio. The shell fell and detonated on a civilian house, reportedly killing six family members, including three children instantly. SHAN is currently investigating the details of the incident.

Similarly, in Nawngmawn Village near Lashio, an MNDAA drone crashed and exploded, hitting a married couple, tragically killing the wife and causing serious injuries to her husband.