The regime is conducting counteroffensives in parts of Kawkareik and Papun townships in Karen State that it has lost to the Karen National Union (KNU), resulting in daily clashes with casualties on both sides.
The junta is desperate to regain control of the Asian Highway between Kyonedoe and Kawkareik so it can reinforce troops.
“Junta troops have been launching offensives in Kyonedoe and Nabu,” said a resistance source from Kawkareik. “Both sides have suffered casualties. The regime is heavily deploying drones and artillery. The drone attacks are quite precise and violent.”
An ambush last weekend by combined forces of the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), People’s Defense Forces (PDF), and the Ramanya Mon Army (RMA)—a coalition of ethnic Mon armed groups—on junta reinforcements killed at least 30 junta soldiers and wounded the commander recently, the RMA reported Saturday.
“They have been advancing along the road section from Kyonedoe for nearly two weeks,” said a former sergeant who has defected from Myanmar military. “We still control the road section, but the regime has taken back some places.”
In April last year, amid military defeats in the trade hub of Myawaddy on the Thai border, the regime launched Operation Aung Zeya, a large-scale counteroffensive involving more than 1,000 troops from the 55th Light Infantry Division. It aims to recapture the main trade route between Kawkareik and Myawaddy.
But as the offensive went past its one-year mark, junta troops remain stuck in the Dawna Hills, suffering heavy casualties. Despite these setbacks, the regime continues to reinforce troops and press on with the offensive.
Earlier this month, the regime was able to recapture Ka Taing Ti, an important position on Papun-Kamamung road.
Military observers said the regime must maintain its grip on Kawkareik and Kyonedoe to prevent the fighting from spilling over into Hpa-an and Mon State, which has been relatively stable since the coup.
“On the Karen front, the regime will try its best to maintain its control of Kyonedoe, Kawkareik, and Myawaddy. Junta troops have been massing at Battalion 275 in Myawaddy,” said an observer monitoring Karen State. “Meanwhile, it will try to launch counteroffensives when the opportunity arises.”
The regime has switched tactics in Kawkareik and Papun, he said. Instead of strongly defending themselves against all resistance offensives, junta troops now abandon small positions when attacked and retreat to key positions.
The KNU’s Brigade 5 and allied forces captured Papun town in March 2024, laying siege to a junta operational command base and two battalions around 5 km from the town.
The regime later retook Ka Tai Ti in a counteroffensive with nearly 200 reinforcements, said Lieutenant Saw Kaledo, the spokesman of KNU Brigade 5. “After a long, fierce battle, the resistance withdrew without casualties. Only the local commanders will know if that was a tactical retreat.”
The junta-aligned Karen State Border Guard Force played an important part in the counteroffensive and recapture of Ka Tai Ti, said former Major Swe Taw, who defected from the Myanmar military. But advancing beyond the town will still be challenging for junta reinforcements.
Resistance forces for their part are still struggling to take the junta’s operational command and two battalions outside Papun more than a year after the siege, he pointed out.
“Troops from Papun town have regrouped at the operational command,” he said. “They have dug bunkers that can resist drone attacks, and they deploy artillery and drones to defend themselves. Though the regime can’t send reinforcements by road, it has been airlifting supplies and ammunition over the past year.”
