The Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and allied resistance forces have seized a junta base crucial for the defense of Papun town in Karen State.
On Saturday, the KNLA and its allies captured the Myanmar military’s Kuseik base, which had been held by the junta for about 70 years.
The military established the Kuseik base in 1954 to provide security for a nearby bridge across the Yunsaline River. It is also a crucial supply base for Papun, said Lieutenant Colonel Saw Kler Doh, a spokesman for the KNLA’s Brigade 5.
“The base is crucial for the regime, which has deployed troops there since the revolution began. The base was then fortified and designed as a command center for operations to gain territorial control in the area,” he said.
The KNLA found eight junta soldiers dead and seized weapons including three rocket-propelled launchers from the base, according to Saw Kler Doh.
The military regime responded with aerial bombing raids, but the KNLA side suffered no casualties.
The rebels are now advancing along the road linking Papun with Kamarmaung town on the Thanlyin River. Four positions of the junta and junta-aligned Border Guard Force remain on the road, and there is also a tactical command base near Papun.
Last month, the KNLA and its allies seized the junta’s Kaw Pote base 16 km northeast of Papun, which was also vital for the tactical command’s defense.
