The Karen National Union (KNU) says that troops under its command engaged in more than 500 clashes with regime forces last month.
In a statement released on Saturday, the group said that most of the fighting took place in territory controlled by Karen National Liberation Army brigades 5 and 6 in Hpapun (Mutraw) and Dooplaya districts, respectively.
At least 356 junta forces, including members of Border Guard Forces, were killed in these battles, and another 194 were injured, the statement claimed.
KNU spokesperson Padoh Saw Tee Nee told Myanmar Now on Sunday that much of the fighting was initiated by the group as it continued to push back against a large-scale junta offensive.
“They declared that they would take back control of these lands before the rainy season through major operations, but judging by the number of casualties on their side, we can say for sure that they will never succeed,” he said.
Myanmar Now was unable to independently confirm the number of clashes or casualties in KNU-controlled territory—which includes parts of Bago and Tanintharyi regions, as well as areas of Karen and Mon states—in April, and the regime does not supply these figures.
However, leaked records from Mingaladon Military Hospital in Yangon showed that there has been a significant increase in the number of soldiers, including officers, receiving treatment there since last month.
One record posted to Facebook and dated April 23 indicated that more than 30 junta personnel had been admitted to the hospital on that day alone.
Referring to another leaked document—a military order instructing soldiers to be on the defensive during the coming rainy season—Pado Saw Taw Nee said it was a further indication of the regime’s weakened position.
“That order confirms our view that the military is failing. They’ve had to fall back to a defensive posture because their offensive operations have failed,” he said.
The KNU has managed to maintain control over its territories despite the military’s use of heavy weapons and airstrikes.
Earlier this month, the regime started carrying out aerial attacks in Mon State’s Bilin Township after the Karen National Defence Organisation, another armed wing of the KNU, ordered junta troops to abandon two bases there.
More than 10,000 local residents have been displaced by the hostilities in Bilin, according to the KNU.
Meanwhile, the KNU spokesperson reiterated the group’s position that it would not join peace talks proposed by the regime’s leader, Min Aung Hlaing, last month.
“We have already said that our goal is to eradicate the military dictatorship, so now is not the time for political negotiations,” said Padoh Saw Taw Nee.
