Troops from the armed wing of the Karen National Union (KNU) overran a Myanmar military base in southeastern Myanmar on Monday, killing one junta soldier, capturing another, and seizing weapons and explosives, the rebel group has said.
Twenty-eight junta soldiers were stationed at the base near the Thai border in Maw Khee village, Myawaddy Township, when the KNU launched the attack at 5:30am. The clash lasted into the late afternoon and ended after 26 of the junta troops retreated.
“The battle started early in the morning and it only ended at 5pm,” said Padoh Saw Taw Nee, a KNU spokesperson.
The junta soldiers were from Infantry Battalion 21 and Light Infantry Battalion 555. Those who escaped left their weapons behind, and the Karen National Liberation Army’s (KNLA) Battalion 201 seized a 60mm mortar launcher, four light weapons, over 100 RPG rounds and several boxes of ammunition.
“They left behind a great number of weapons. We can put them to good use,” Padoh Saw Taw Nee said.
The junta soldiers also left behind a sign that read: “Maw Khee, the stronghold that will never retreat” a photo released by the KNLA shows.
“The on-the-ground troops of the junta’s forces are abandoning their bases more frequently,” Pado Saw Taw Nee said. “It appears that they are relying more on the air force. Without the aid of the air force, they don’t have many options other than fleeing.”
He added that he did not yet know if there were any casualties on the KNLA’s side or if the KNLA troops were now stationed inside the base.
On March 13, KNLA troops captured four soldiers, including a battalion commander and deputy commander, from outside the base of Infantry Battalion 32 in Waw Lay Township, Dooplaya district.
The KNU said recently that three junta battalion commanders in the region had defected and surrendered to the rebel group, making them the highest ranking soldiers known to have abandoned their posts since last year’s coup.
