KAREN STATE – On May 6, the KNU Brigade 5 announced that more than 250 guerrilla warfare battles took place in the area under the control of Brigade 5 during the month of April, and 90 junta soldiers including one company commander, were killed and 60 were wounded.
During the fightings, two members of the KNLA joint forces fell and two were injured. Junta council forces dropped 17 bombs during 4 air strikes and nearly 40 rounds of heavy weapons were fired on the villages and farms of civilians, killing one civilian and injuring eight.
Colonel Saw Keledo, the official spokesperson of Brigade 5, said that as the junta council is trying to recapture the strategically important Mae Khahta camp on the bank of the Salween River, the junta’s army used more air force than ground forces.
“They used air forces to defend the camp and supplying food for their troops in the camp was also done using helicopters. They are doing it everyday. It’s very difficult for them to send food by land, so they use aerial transports most of the time now,” said the spokesperson.
On March 28, Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) joint forces attacked the Mae Khahta camp, which is important to the junta council, on the banks of the Salween River. During the battle to capture the camp, 16 junta council troops were killed and a large number of them were injured. Large amount of ammunitions were seized because they ran away from the camp.
In addition to the battles in the Brigade 5 controlled area, heavy artillery fire as well as airstrikes and human rights violations of the junta council have forced more than 90,000 local people to flee their villages and homes to seek safety.
“Because the local people had to leave their homes and workplaces, and because the weather is extremely hot and there are also abnormal rain, there is an urgent need for medical supplies in addition to food and shelter,” said the official from Brigade 5.