The Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and joint forces simultaneously attacked two military checkpoints at Donthami Bridge near Duyinseik village on the border between Hpa-An and Thaton townships – areas controlled by Karen National Union (KNU) Brigade 1 – on 1 June.
A total of 31 military and police personnel were killed, while resistance fighters also seized weapons and ammunition, according to sources close to the KNU.
In the raid by KNLA and joint forces on the junta checkpoint (on the Thaton side), seven junta army personnel were killed-Captain Moe Min of LID 22, Deputy Police Major Thiha Zaw, Sergeant Soe Nyunt Win, Sergeant Kyaw Ye Aung, Sergeant Chin Oo Thu, Sergeant Aung Ye Naing and Sergeant Khun Okkar Soe, while 25 Myanmar army personnel were killed in the checkpoint raid on the Hpa-An side.
In addition, the forces seized two G3 rifles, one AKP assault rifle, one 9mm Uzi machine gun, 520 rounds of ammunition and two cell phones.
Two resistance fighters were killed and one injured in the coordinated attacks, confirmed Saw Kyaw Myint, KNU liaison officer for Thaton District.
“The joint KNLA forces attacked both checkpoints at the same time. In the attack on the Hpa-An side, one junta soldier broke his thigh and one managed to escape. All the other 25 were killed. On our side, two comrades fell. One was injured but isn’t in critical condition,” he told the Karen Information Center.
During the resistance, the junta base in Thaton District fired artillery shells indiscriminately, killing a woman and a man and damaging some houses in Duyinseik village, residents said. According to local media reports, three people were also injured by firefights and the clinic in Duyinseik village was also destroyed.
A similar incident occurred on 31 May, when the KNLA and joint forces attacked the Thantada military checkpoint on the Kyaito-Bilin border, killing two junta soldiers and injuring three others.
Sent by KIC.