Resistance forces claim control of ‘85 percent’ of Karenni State capital

Allied resistance forces have established control over most of the Karenni State capital of Loikaw after blockading the city for more than one month, according to sources on the ground. Dubbed Operation 1111, the Karenni Army, Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF), Karenni National People’s Liberation Front and the National Unity Government’s People’s Defence Force launched a joint offensive on November 11 to drive the military council out of the town. Col Phone Naing of the Karenni Army told Myanmar Now that, at the time of reporting, junta troops who remained in Loikaw were confined to limited areas of the capital, maintaining positions at the Catholic church and fire station in Naung Yar ward, the hospital in Minsu ward, and at Loikaw prison. “We can say that we’ve captured 85 percent of Loikaw city,” he said, noting that resistance forces had attempted to overrun the prison over the weekend but were not successful, and had paused their advance. During the clashes, KNDF commander Sayar Kyaung was killed, Myanmar Now confirmed. Around 200 political prisoners are reportedly among those detained in the facility, which poses challenges to an attack on the site, Col Phone Naing explained. Pro-junta channels reported on social media platform Telegram on Tuesday that 11 prison officers and junta soldiers were killed in the weekend clashes at the prison, confirming that it remained under military control. A wall in Loikaw prison pockmarked with bullet holes following the clashes between anti-junta groups and the military troops at the prison in November (Myanmar Now) Major battles of Operation 1111 Of 18 fortified Myanmar army positions, resistance forces have seized around 10 during Operation 1111, according to KNDF chair Khun Bedu. One of the most significant sites claimed by the KNDF was the military camp on the Loikaw University campus on November 15, where around 110 junta soldiers were killed in battle, including the regional and deputy commanders of Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 425. Thirty-two troops surrendered to the resistance, and the KNDF reportedly seized nearly 130 large and small arms. The KNDF evacuated more than 200 teachers and their family members from the scene of the clashes, including the university rector. The day after the resistance claimed control of the university, the junta-run Loikaw District Court was also set ablaze. Distance education exams scheduled to be held at Loikaw University have been postponed indefinitely by the military council. Karenni resistance forces pictured after taking over the Karenni State police station on December 9 (PKPF) On the night of December 9, resistance forces took control of the junta state police office in Loikaw, where around 50 soldiers had been stationed. According to a statement by the monitoring group Progressive Karenni People Force (PKPF), the guerrilla groups involved had confiscated prison cars, anti-riot police vehicles, and some 10 motorcycles. The military has responded to the resistance attacks by bombarding Loikaw and the surrounding area with indiscriminate artillery fire and airstrikes that killed more than 60 civilians in the first three weeks of November alone. More than 92,000 people in total, or around 80 percent of Loikaw Township’s residents, have been displaced by the junta’s assaults, according to the Karenni Civil Society Network, which provides regular humanitarian updates on the region. Many have sought refuge in neighbouring southern Shan State. Loikaw was considered the military’s last stronghold in Karenni State, and on November 13, KNDF chair Khun Bedu declared the group’s intention of dismantling the military council’s administrative structure in the capital. Acknowledging the potential repercussions of urban warfare, he encouraged residents to relocate to safer places. The town is located just 140 miles, or a five-hour drive, from the junta headquarters in Naypyitaw. Loikaw District Court was burnt down on November 16 (Khu Reedu) Resistance forces take control of Mese Karenni resistance forces have also taken over the whole of Mese Township in southern Karenni State, bordering Thailand, the KNDF’s Khun Bedu said. On November 20, the last remaining junta soldiers retreated from the Pantein area of the township. Fierce fighting had occurred in Mese in early June, when resistance groups attacked military camps in the township. The junta responded by sending reinforcements and reclaiming control of border guard forces’ headquarters in Pantein later that month, before ultimately withdrawing five months later. Mese police station in October 2020 (Esther J / Myanmar Now) In Karenni State, junta army units only remained in Hpasawng, Shardaw, Bawlakhe and in parts of Loikaw, according to the Karenni Army’s Col Phone Naing. “In Hpasawng, a junta army unit exists. And they have their tactical operation office in Bawlakhe. There will be about three or four of their camps remaining in Loikaw,” he said. The colonel added that the resistance had also taken control of Moebye (Mongpai) in southern Shan State’s Pekhon Township, which has a large ethnic Karenni population and borders Karenni State. They also control the road from Loikaw to Moebye, and to Shardaw. The military’s LIB 422 remains stationed at the Moebye dam north of the town.

Resistance forces claim control of ‘85 percent’ of Karenni State capital

Allied Karenni resistance groups attempt to seize the military’s last fortified strongholds in the city, including Loikaw prison, but are forced to pause the advance

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