Myanmar’s military has declared it now has complete control over the embattled town of Thantlang and its surrounding areas, following what regime media described as a months-long “counter-terrorism operation.”
The recapture of Thantlang, located 22 miles (35 km) west of the Chin State capital Hakha, marks a significant development in a protracted and highly destructive conflict.
The town has been a fiercely contested battleground between regime and resistance forces since September 2021, when intense aerial bombardments forced the entire civilian population to flee.
Both sides have launched repeated offensives to secure the area over the past five years.
The regime counteroffensive
The regime’s successful push to retake Thantlang began in June. According to military reports, troops steadily advanced through the town, capturing critical infrastructure—including the local police station, a school, the hospital, and the fire station—in late June.
The military officially declared full control of the town on July 16.
The operation is part of a broader, massive military mobilization in the region. In mid-June, the Chin National Army (CNA) reported to DVB that the regime had deployed approximately 6,000 troops across the state in a sweeping counteroffensive designed to recapture territory lost to resistance groups.
A critical turning point in the campaign occurred on June 10, when the military, backed by intense artillery and aerial bombardments, regained control of the Hakha–Thantlang road.
This strategic trade artery links the state capital to the Myanmar-India border and had been under CNA control since 2023, following the resistance’s capture of the border towns of Rihkhawdar and Cikha (Zikhaw).
A shifting battlefield
Despite the loss of Thantlang, Chin resistance forces and allied ethnic armed organizations maintain control over significant portions of the state:
The shifting battlefield dynamics have also driven political consolidation among the resistance. The CNA, which left the ICNCC in April 2023 to establish its own Chinland Council in February 2024, recently moved to unify the fractured political landscape.
On February 26, 2025, the ICNCC and the Chinland Council officially agreed to merge, forming a singular governing body known as the Chin National Council to streamline administration and military coordination across liberated areas.
But no further progress to unify the two Chin resistance factions has been announced since then.
Regime troops in front of the Thantlang Township Social Welfare office destroyed during fighting in Chin State on July 16. (Credit: Regime)
