Intense clashes reported south of Myawaddy, as Myanmar junta launches new offensive

Fighting has intensified south of the Karen State border town of Myawaddy as Myanmar’s military pushes to retake territory from the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), according to residents and sources along the Thai-Myanmar border. Heavy clashes have centred around Minletpan, a village about eight miles south of Myawaddy on the western bank of the Moei River, which forms part of the border between Myanmar and Thailand. Although fighting has continued since the third week of June, residents said the violence escalated sharply late Tuesday as junta forces advanced on multiple fronts. A Myanmar resident staying in a Thai village opposite Minletpan said the fighting involved sustained artillery shelling, heavy machine guns, drones, and small-arms fire. “There were sounds of heavy artillery, .50-calibre weapons, machine guns, drones, and small arms,” the resident said. “The military is entering from several directions and appears to be surrounding three or four locations.” The resident said the offensive appeared aimed at breaking through defensive positions held by KNLA Brigade 6 and allied resistance groups. He estimated, citing local accounts, that roughly 1,000 junta troops were participating in the operation. “They are probing several positions as they push forward,” he said. “If they can’t break through, they will have to retreat.” Residents and sources close to the resistance said fighters from the Karen Border Guard Force (BGF) and local police units were also involved in the offensive. Forces led by Bo Bi, a commander who split from the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA) and later aligned with the military, were also believed to participating, some sources claimed. The fighting has prompted precautionary measures across the border in Thailand. Village leaders have used loudspeakers to advise residents living near the Moei River to evacuate, while the Royal Thai Army has increased patrols along the frontier, according to residents. Myanmar Now sought comment from Padoh Saw Taw Nee, spokesperson for the KNLA’s political wing, the Karen National Union (KNU), but did not receive a response. Calls to Karen State’s junta-appointed planning, economic and finance minister, Nyi Nyi Zaw, who also acts as information officer for the regime’s administration in the state, as well as to Col. Myo Aung of the military's True News Information Team, also went unanswered. Analysts and sources close to the resistance said the military may be attempting to re-establish control over the Myawaddy-Waw Lay road and reinforce troops isolated at the Waw Lay tactical hill base, south of Myawaddy. Waw Lay lies about 30 miles south of Myawaddy and just over 20 miles south of Minletpan. There are at least 11 villages controlled by the DKBA and the KNU/KNLA between Minletpan and Waw Lay, including two—Sonseemyaing and Kyauk Khek—that are regarded as DKBA strongholds. The area also includes several sites suspected of housing online scam operations. According to a Thai anti-human trafficking organisation, at least 5,300 foreign nationals remain trapped in four major online scam compounds controlled by the DKBA. Despite the clashes south of the town, daily life in junta-controlled Myawaddy has remained largely unaffected, according to a resident. “The New Asia Road has reopened. Myawaddy is just normal,” the resident said. He added that Chinese nationals from the nearby enclave of Shwe Kokko were being housed at the town’s police station and football field, awaiting permission to cross the border. Shwe Kokko, located north of Myawaddy, is administered by the Karen BGF. The group, which rebranded itself as the Karen National Army two years ago, has imposed strict controls on movement into and out of the area, according to the resident. The latest fighting follows a period of relative calm around Minletpan after clashes eased in April. The area was the scene of a KNLA raid in late November 2025 on the Shunda Park online scam compound, which was controlled by the DKBA. At the time, the KNU said efforts to rescue people held inside the complex were hindered by heavy artillery fire from junta forces operating around Minletpan. The renewed offensive at the end of June has reignited fighting in one of the most strategically important corridors along Myanmar’s border with Thailand.

Intense clashes reported south of Myawaddy, as Myanmar junta launches new offensive

The offensive appears to be aimed at breaking through defensive positions held by KNLA Brigade 6 and allied resistance groups, according to sources

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