Resistance forces close to capturing town between Dawei and Thai border

Anti-junta groups say they are close to taking control of a key town near the Tanintharyi Region capital Dawei, less than a week after mounting a deadly ambush on an army convoy in the same area. Raung Ni, the spokesperson for a People’s Defence Force (PDF) column involved in the offensive, told Myanmar Now on Monday that the groups had taken control of the central police station in Myitta, a town located about 30 miles east of Dawei, following a series of attacks on a military outpost west of the town. “We managed to seize the police station where the junta forces were based, but they still control a tactical base at the entrance to the town. Once we get that, we’ll be in full control,” he said. Myitta is a key trading town on the road from Dawei to Htee Khee, a village on the Thai-Myanmar border. Last week, the resistance forces, led by Saw Moo Gay, a battalion commander from Brigade 6 of the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), ambushed a junta convoy near Wa Kone, a village just off of the Dawei-Htee Khee road about 15 miles west of Myitta. Five military trucks loaded with weapons and ammunition were seized in that attack, and at least 18 junta soldiers were killed. Following that incident, which took place on February 21, the military retaliated with heavy artillery fire and airstrikes. Despite this, however, the resistance forces continued their attacks in the area, targeting the police station in Myitta and a military outpost in Kyauk Me Taung, a village about seven miles to the west. According to Raung Ni, at least three airstrikes were carried out in the area on Monday, raising concerns about the safety of local civilians. “The public should follow the instructions given to them by the resistance forces regarding airstrikes and the need to dig trenches,” he said. In addition to the KNLA and the PDF, members of the Dawei Collective Column and the Tavoy People’s Liberation Force also took part in the recent fighting. Meanwhile, there have also been reports that a number of residents of Kyauk Me Taung and another village in the area, Shwe Chaung, have been taken hostage by regime forces. Myanmar Now was unable to verify this information at the time of reporting. According to Tanintharyi Region PDF officer who goes by the name of Star, the success of the recent attacks has come at a heavy cost. “The fighting has been really serious. There have been a lot of junta casualties, but there were some on our side, too,” he said, adding that the resistance forces were also able to seize large caches of weapons. On Sunday morning, regime forces stationed at a checkpoint near the village of Ma Lwei Taung, on the border between Tanintharyi Region and Mon State, were also attacked, according to sources. On Saturday, a drone unit operating under Dawei District PDF Battalion 2 released a statement claiming that it had dropped 15 bombs on junta forces stationed in Winwa, a village south of Dawei in Thayet Chaung Township, on February 20 and 21.

Resistance forces close to capturing town between Dawei and Thai border

Attacks on junta targets in and near the town of Myitta come just days after a regime convoy suffered heavy losses in an ambush in the same area

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