June 26th, 2022
The military council is not in a position to control the areas although the troops are stationed in some areas of Karenni State with the use of excessive forces, according to the Karenni defense forces.
“This is not a real military operation. The military mainly is working for the security of its controlled areas, town and the military. They don’t even go outside. Fighting will resume when they go outside. There are armed youths everywhere. Fighting will resume when we go outside. Fighting will continue when the military column marches. Tension continues to mount till now,” Khu Daniel, Deputy Defense Minister for Karenni State Government says.
It cannot be said that the military can control the areas although the military troops are carrying out the offensive and stationed in the conflict-affected Pekon, Moebye, Nanmalkhone, Dawngankhar, Demawso and Phruso.
When We attack them, they withdraw. In turn, they attack us, we withdraw,” an information officer of the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF) says.
“I think there is no controlled area. They cannot control the area,” he adds.
There is frequent guerrilla fighting between the military and the combined force of the local defense forces in the areas where the military troops are stationed.
The military can control the areas only when its mechanism can operate, the KNDF says.
“The military can do nothing without the public. The public doesn’t accept them. Locals flee to safer places when the military enters the villages. No one returns to their homes. The military cannot govern the people in the villages along the road although they are stationed along the road,” an official of the KNDF says.
The military has deployed the troops along the road connecting the Karenni State to other States to control the inflows and outflows of the people. In early January, there were clashes between the military council and local defense forces in wards in Loikaw.
“The military mainly emphasizes the security of Pekon, Moebye and Loikaw. For instance, the military battalions are stationed in Loilimlay. The military mainly controls the roads connecting Taunggyi, Moebye, Pekon, Shan State, Mandalay and Nay Pyi Taw. They are taking security measures in Nanmalkhone and Konethar. The military wants to control the road. The military is carrying out inspections and additional deployments,” Khu Daniel adds.
The combined Karenni force had to withdraw after the intense fighting in Nanmalkhone in Demawso Township in May, 2022.
“We all are trying to recapture it in cooperation with the public as we don’t withdraw completely. We had to withdraw from it due to an imbalance of firepower. It can be said that we are preparing for the battle after withdrawal,” an official of the Demawso PDF says.
The military council is carrying out airstrikes in Karenni State where fighting is taking place almost every day.
The military troops have planted mines on the places where they are stationed in Demawso Township.
The military is also burning the houses. Some locals who returned to their homes are wounded after stepping on the landmines planted by the military council troops.
Since the coup, there have been 318 clashes between the military council and the Karenni defense forces in Karenni State.
A total of 1,227 soldiers of the military council and 128 local defense forces were killed in the fighting, according to the statement by the Progressive Karenni People’s Force (PKPF) on June 1st.
Sent by Maw Mi Myar (Kantarawaddy Times)
