Karenni resistance forces launch attacks on junta troops in Kayah State capital

By Admin 11 Nov 2023

DMG Newsroom
November 11 2023, Loikaw, Kayah State

Karenni resistance forces launched offensives against junta positions in Loikaw Township, the capital of Kayah (Karenni) State, early Saturday morning, with some 30,000 residents trapped in the town.

Combined forces of the Karenni Nationalities Defense Forces (KNDF) and other Karenni resistance forces attacked junta troops deployed at the entrance to Loikaw, within the Loikaw industrial zone, and in other locations. The fighting was fierce, said a resident.

A resident of Htayngar Ward told DMG at around 9 a.m. Saturday: “A military outpost between Htayngar and Yayyo wards was attacked this morning. They are still fighting. I hear shelling of artillery.”

Large numbers of junta troops are deployed at the office of the Kayah State military council in Loikaw and the office of the Kayah State police chief, as well as at one of the town’s major thoroughfares, at the University of Computer Studies, and at Lawpita Dam.

“People are trapped in the town. All the shops and markets have shut down. There is no one on the streets except junta soldiers,” said a Loikaw resident.

The local People’s Defense Force in Loikaw and the Karenni Revolution Union are fighting alongside the KNDF in Loikaw.

“We have launched attacks. But it is not yet a large-scale attack to seize the town. We will announce details after the fighting,” said a member of the KNDF.

The attack on Loikaw came after the KNDF announced “Operation 1107” in Karenni State on November 7, in support of “Operation 1027” launched by the Brotherhood Alliance on October 27.

Karenni resistance forces also seized two junta positions in Pantein Village, Maese Township, on the Thai-Myanmar border, on November 7.