DKBA reopens Hpalu–Wawlay Road following release of captured troops by KNLA

After troops from Brigade 6 of the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), the armed wing of the Karen National Union (KNU), released the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA) personnel they had detained, the DKBA reopened the Hpalu–Wawlay Road in Karen State, which it had previously closed.

The DKBA announced on November 26 that it had lifted the road closure in the interest of regional peace and stability.

Colonel Saw Sein Win, the DKBA adjutant general, said that all DKBA members captured by the KNLA during recent clashes had been released, so there was no longer a need to keep the road closed.

“All our men have returned safely with their weapons, so there is no need to keep the road closed. The route is now operating as normal,” he told KIC.

On November 21, heavy clashes erupted between the junta and the KNLA near Min Let Pan Village in Myawaddy Township, Karen State. During the fighting, elements of the junta-aligned DKBA, led by Colonel Naing Lwin, attacked KNLA positions. In response, the KNLA launched a defensive operation, during which they unexpectedly uncovered a covert telecom scam hub that the DKBA had been protecting, according to a KNLA statement. The operation also resulted in the arrest of more than 200 DKBA troops.

On November 28, the KNLA handed over all captured DKBA members and their weapons to the DKBA headquarters in Sonseemyaing Village, Myawaddy Township.