The Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and resistance allies attacked Myanmar regime offices at dawn on Friday in Kawkareik town, Karen State.
A police station and military intelligence office have been burned down and clashes continue in the north of the town, according to the armed groups.
Some residents fled the town this morning but most remain trapped.
Resistance sources say the town hall, township court and a police prison have been occupied.
“We killed junta troops stationed in a monastery and others fled. They are shelling the town and some houses have been destroyed,” said a member of the Albino Tiger Column, which is allied to the KNLA.
No junta airstrikes have been reported amid speculation that the regime’s air force is deployed in Kachin and Shan states.
Raids on Kawkareik’s junta targets were launched on October 21.
Kawkareik town is on a trade route with Thailand and has been held by junta troops while Karen resistance groups control rural areas of the township.
The KNLA Battalion 27 commander Lieutenant Colonel Saw Yan Naing told The Irrawaddy that the attacks were a response to regime refusals to withdraw from Karen villages in southern Kawkareik and to stop shelling.
The Ta’ang National Liberation Army in northern Shan State is launching simultaneous attacks on junta troops, stretching the regime’s resources.
