Karenni resistance forces brace for Myanmar junta push to retake town in southern Shan State

The arrival of hundreds of regime troops and allied ethnic forces in the southern Shan State town of Pekhon last week has raised concerns of an imminent junta offensive farther south, near the border with neighbouring Karenni (Kayah) State.Resistance forces in the area report that the column, which includes over 700 junta soldiers and fighters from the allied Pa-O National Organization (PNO), began advancing toward Pekhon from Pinlaung, located in the Pa-O Self-Administered Zone, about three months ago. As they approached Pekhon last week, regime soldiers detained around 200 civilians in the nearby village of Pu Chei for unknown reasons and transferred them to Pinlaung.Since then, around 200 junta troops and PNO fighters have clashed with Karenni resistance forces near Moebye, a town in southern Pekhon Township captured by the Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF) late last year.While most of Moebye (Mongmit) has since been under KNDF control, the regime has managed to hold onto a camp, operated by troops from Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 422, near the Moebye Dam in the northern part of the town.“We had battles near the entrance to Moebye on November 15-16. They aim to join forces with the LIB 422 troops. We haven’t seen any movement in or out of the base yet, but both sides are closely monitoring the situation and engaging militarily,” a resistance source told Myanmar Now.A resident of Moebye said junta troops stationed near the dam have been firing heavy artillery into the southern and western parts of the town daily. “Now that the military column has reached Pekhon, they are starting to push even farther. The resistance forces are doing their best to halt the advance of additional military columns into Moebye,” the resident said. The junta remains in control of Pekhon, where its Military Operations Command 7 and two subordinate battalions are based. In response to the growing threat, the KNDF and its allies launched a fundraising campaign last Friday to purchase more weapons and ammunition. In a video promoting the campaign, KNDF deputy commander Marwi warned that the junta column appears to be planning to push deeper into Karenni State, beyond the capital Loikaw, which is just 10 miles southeast of Moebye. “They are sending in large numbers of troops. If they can retake these routes, they will continue on to Loikaw, and from there to Bawlakhe and Hpasawng,” he said, referring to two major towns south of Loikaw. While the regime currently controls all three towns, the KNDF and other Karenni resistance forces maintain a strong presence in surrounding areas. Captain Zin Yaw, a defector from Myanmar’s military after the coup nearly four years ago, believes the regime is trying to bring more ethnic Karenni areas under its control ahead of elections scheduled for next year. “They want to control Loikaw completely and make it appear normal. The goal is to expand their control zone to make it a place where voting is possible in Loikaw,” he said. Meanwhile, the military has also been carrying out airstrikes in areas beyond its control. On Monday, it struck a camp for displaced civilians in La Tein, a village in the west of Pekhon Township. According to Banyar Khun Aung, secretary of the Karenni State Interim Executive Council, which governs areas under resistance control, a 46-year-old woman was killed in the attack and two others were injured. An earlier airstrike on the same camp in early September killed at least one person and injured nine, including five children.

Karenni resistance forces brace for Myanmar junta push to retake town in southern Shan State

As more regime forces pour into Pekhon Township, concern is growing of an imminent offensive to reclaim Moebye, near the border with Karenni State

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