Four members of the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF) were shot dead near the village of Hohpeik in Kayah State’s Demoso Township on Thursday, the group reported.
According to an officer from KNDF Battalion 9, the four were part of a scouting team that was ambushed by troops from Light Infantry Battalion 427 at around 5:30am Thursday.
“There were six of our men in the team. It was an ambush. I think someone informed the military about them. We’ve been operating in this area for a while, so someone might have seen us,” said the officer.
Four of the team’s six members died on the spot, and four junta soldiers were injured, according to the officer.
The clash lasted about an hour, until the regime’s soldiers retreated after reinforcements from a coalition of Karenni forces arrived, he added.
He said that the military also abducted seven civilians from the village to carry the injured soldiers and their weapons.
“They took them to be used as both porters and human shields,” he said, adding that most of Hohpeik’s residents had already fled the area.
The seven locals were later released, according to the KNDF.
There has been fierce fighting around Demoso and Loikaw in recent days, with four clashes on Tuesday claiming the lives of at least five junta soldiers, according to the KNDF.
The KNDF is part of a coalition of ethnic Karenni resistance groups operating in Kayah State and predominantly Karenni regions of neighbouring Shan State.
