15,000 flee Pale Township as Myanmar junta launches offensive to retake police station

Mizzima

Fierce clashes between the junta’s forces and resistance groups have forced around 15,000 civilians from Pale Township to flee their homes, according to resistance sources.

The mass displacement began after junta troops launched an operation to recapture the Kandaunt police station, seized by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and allied resistance forces on 19 June.

“We have to keep our distance from the airstrikes and shelling. There are no official displacement camps, so we’ve built makeshift tents in the forest to protect ourselves from the constant rain. Many people are now sick with the flu,” said an internally displaced person from Pale Township.

A PLA fighter reported that junta forces are pushing toward Kandaunt village and are actively engaged in fighting with resistance troops, suffering heavy casualties on their side. To retake the outpost, the junta is employing both ground assaults and airstrikes, displacing thousands of civilians in surrounding areas.