For the last eight days, the Military Council has engaged in combat with the Karenni Defense Force near the hill adjacent to Daw Hlyar Khu village in the eastern region of Demoso Township, located in Karenni (Kayah) State. During this period the Military Council has resorted to the use of daily airstrikes..
From May 17th to May 22nd, the conflict persisted, with the Military Council deploying extensive air support for 6 consecutive days, beginning on May 17th. During this period, the Military Council’s aircraft unleashed a barrage of fire from machine-guns and dropped 500-pound bombs in the vicinity of the combat zones.
“Early this morning on May 22nd at around 4:00 am the aircraft returned and resumed the attack. In the span of just one week, their aircraft made no fewer than 10 attacks. Remarkably, the casualties have been minimal thus far. The exact situation on the Military Council’s side remains unknown. Their aircraft unleashed a barrage of fire from 0.5 cannons and dropped 500-pound bombs”, Karenni resistance Interior Minister Khu Nye Reh said.
According to a ground correspondent from the Kantarawaddy Times, the Military Council’s aerial bombardment resulted in the destruction of a couple of schools and approximately a dozen houses in the villages surrounding the battle areas.
“It’s predictable when the planes arrive.. They attack either very early in the morning around 3:30 – 4:00 am when everyone is fast asleep, or in the evening around 6:00pm as daylight is fading. When the battle intensifies, they often bring in air support. Sadly it’s not just the battle zones that get bombarded from the air, but even the villages suffer the same fate”, the correspondent reported.
A continuous battle has been raging for several days between the Military Council and the local Karenni Resistance Forces in the Kan Khana Sint (Seven-layer) Lake area near Tanee Lale, located east of Demoso.
“As a result of the air attacks, significant damage was inflicted upon schools and houses. Fortunately, as the villagers had already fled, there were no civilian casualties reported. However, the destruction of houses often leads to the loss of stored corn and rice too”, Kantarawaddy Times correspondent added.
Three members of the Karenni National Defense Force (KNDF) lost their lives during the clashes, as the Military Council conducted air raids as well as intense shelling, according to reports from the relevant KNDF battalions. The number of casualties sustained by the Military Council during the prolonged battle remains unknown at this time.
