Myanmar Military Suffers ‘Heavy Losses’ in Karen Border Offensive

Myanmar’s military has suffered heavy casualties in a major offensive aimed at breaking Karen resistance on the Thai-Myanmar border in Myawaddy District, according to resistance sources.

Military tensions escalated Tuesday to intense fighting as the regime deployed reinforcements for human-wave-assaults on resistance positions at Min Let Pan village.

“Regime forces suffered major casualties yesterday [Thursday], but they are still coming today,” a resistance fighter told The Irrawaddy at around noon Friday.

He said the regime had lost dozens of troops but could not offer detailed numbers as the battle was still raging.

“They [regime forces] are attacking from three directions with an estimated 2,000 personnel, triggering constant clashes with resistance groups”, he said.

Regime artillery resumed shelling at around 7 am on Friday after a brief early-morning lull, according to a source from the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), armed wing of the Karen National Union.

“A fighter jet bombed the outskirts of a nearby village at around 11 am,” the source told The Irrawaddy, before being interrupted by shelling that forced him to run for shelter. He said the airstrike, conducted amid a heavy artillery barrage, targeted a deserted scamming compound.

Regime troops began pushing south from the Karen border trade town of Myawaddy nine months ago but have been halted by KNLA-led resistance at Min Let Pan.

The troops—reportedly supported by the Bo Bi-led Democratic Karen Buddhist Army, a splinter faction of the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army and the regime’s Karen Border Guard Force led by Saw Mote Thone—are advancing from three directions: Palu, Ye Gone, and the Palu mountains.

“The regime is aiming to recapture its lost territory along the border with Thailand,” said former army captain and defector Zin Yaw.

He said the military had feigned an attack on neighboring Kyarinseikgyi before directing forces to Min Let Pan following a meeting between Myanmar’s military chief and a high-ranking Thai military official.

The Thai military reportedly tightened border security and ordered evacuation plans this week after shells and bullets from the Karen offensive landed on its soil. It also closed informal border crossings in the area, barring access to food markets and shelter for displaced Myanmar villagers.

“We are having to flee frequent attacks by fighter jets,” a displaced Min Let Pan resident told the Irrawaddy on Friday. “The fighting is going on and on, but we have no place left to hide.”