Two revolutionary comrades lost their lives, while five others sustained injuries during a confrontation between the resistance joint forces and the Military Council in the vicinity of Kyauksu village, situated within the Mese Township of Karenni (Kayah) State.
The casualties from the clash on August 5th, both those who lost their lives and those who were injured, were members of the Karenni National People’s Liberation Front (KNPLF), a constituent of the Karenni resistance joint forces.
In the course of the conflict, the resistance joint forces successfully secured the weaponry belonging to the Military Council. Following the engagement, on August 6th, as the resistance fighters cleared the battleground, it became apparent that the Military Council had already retrieved and removed the bodies, according to Colonel Phone Naing, the Adjutant General of the Karenni Army (KA).
“We managed to seize the enemy’s weapons and ammo. When we checked the battlefield the next day, our comrades’ bodies were gone. It seems the Military Council had already taken them. The enemy troops were from the 558th and 512th Light Infantry Battalions of the 55th Division. Our KA comrades are safe, but 2 from our resistance joint forces were lost, and 5 got hurt”, Colonel Phone Naing said.
The Karenni resistance joint forces consist of KA and KNPLF, along with the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF) and the Hpasawng Township People’s Defense Force (Hpasawng-PDF).
According to the resistance fighters, the Military Council conducted a total of six airstrikes at the peak of the conflict.
An official from Hpasawng-PDF commented that the joint resistance forces temporarily withdrew due to airstrikes and heavy shelling, but they are persistently working to reclaim control of the region.
“We can’t share all the specifics right now, but the fight isn’t finished. The enemy planes bombed us six times. Unfortunately, some of our fellow KNPLF members lost their lives. Because of the situation, we had to pull back a bit. Thankfully, their airstrikes didn’t hurt our side, but their shelling caused us some damage”, the official told Kantarawaddy Times.
More fighting is anticipated as the Military Council troops from Bawlakhe are en route to Mese for reinforcement and battle preparations.
Kantarawaddy Times attempted to reach out to relevent KNPLF official to enquire regarding the conflict but was unable to establish contact due to his switched-off phone.
