KNU Captures Heavily-fortified Base Held by the Tatmadaw for Three Decades
The Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), the armed wing of the KNU, captured the Hteehta (Molokyo) base inside the 5th Brigade zone of KNU on December 17th. This base that had been under the firm control of the Burmese army for almost thirty years, and apparently impregnable, has fallen.
The heavy fortifications of the base included pproximately 30 concrete trenches and housed a formidable force of around 120 soldiers. The joint resistance forces led by KNLA triumphed after two offensives lasting about 20 days.
Dr. Aung Aung, the deputy chief of the Federal Force for Democracy (FFD) that fought with the KNLA, reported that due to KNLA’s offensive, the Junta forces sustained numerous casualties and withdrew from the base. The FFD deputy chief explained to KIC, “The offensive was mainly led by KNU/KNLA, with support from the Karenni Revolution Union (KRU) and the FFD. It took us 20 days of hard work to capture the base. The Military Council suffered many casualties, but the exact number is unknown as some troops fled. we are currently conducting clearance operations.” he told KIC.
Despite the Junta’s deployment of helicopters and aircraft with various weapons for air support during the intense battle against the combined forces of the KNLA, KRU, and FFD, the formidable Hteehta base eventually fell into the hands of the resistance forces.
KIC has not independently confirmed the number of casualties on both sides in the base-capturing battle, as well as the quantity of weapons and ammunition seized by the resistance forces.
Despite the Military Council labeling Hteehta as an impregnable stronghold, KNLA-led joint forces successfully captured the base through a 20-day operation, employing drones for air superiority and launching missile attacks to overcome the defensive fire.
