KNU captures 3 Military Council bases and seized a massive haul of arms and ammunition
The Karen National Union (KNU) announced that the two battalions of the 3rd Brigade of KNU’s KarenNational Liberation Army (KNLA) attacked and captured 3 Military Council bases, killing 11 Junta soldiers and seizing many military weapons and ammunition.
On November 12, the KNLA’s 9th and 7th battalions jointly attacked the Military Council&’s Thansate base in the 7th battalion’s territory and the Bawkahtar and Tontatar bases in the 9th battalion’s territory.
The KNU statement listed their haul : 8 MA-type guns and 3070 bullets, 2 9 mm pistols, an 81 mm gun and 68 bullet rounds, five 60 mm guns (1 long and 4 shorts) with 113 bullets, an RPG-7 launcher with 77 shells, 28 grenades, 1 short gun and 88 shotgun ammos, 10 M14 landmines and 10 other explosive mines, 27 gun- magazines and a mine detector were seized from the Military Council camps.
The Military Council responded by launching about 20 aerial attacks when their camps were under fire, and due to such intense air support, KNLA forces had to retreat before being able to take all the weapons and ammunition of the Military Council troops, KUN said. 11 Military Council soldiers were killed in the clashes, but the number of injured and details are still being verified, KNU added.
The Military Council targeted civilians and conducted around 10 aerial attacks after the ground assault and battles. On November 13 airstrikes resumed injuring local people and destroying some houses, KNU said.
Due to two days of airstrikes by the Military Council, more than 20,000 residents of 18 villages in 3 village tracts in Nyaunglebin District within the territory of KNU’s 3rd Brigade, have been displaced and are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance.
KIC has not independently confirmed the news about how many Junta soldiers were killed in attacks on military bases, nor has the Military Council made an official statement.
Since the 2021 coup, 382 battles have taken place in KNU 3rd Brigade-controlled areas, and around 480 Military Council troops were killed and 220 were wounded, KNU claimed. Since April of this year, KNU has carried out 64 airstrikes using drones, killing 70 Military Council soldiers and injuring 46, as well as destroying 7 Military Council bases.
