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Founded – 8 November 2010 Headquarters – Sone See Myaing Village in Myawaddy Township in Karen State Areas of Operation – Hlaingbwe, Kawkareik, and Myawaddy Townships in Karen State, and the Dawna Range near Kyarinseikkyi-Hpayarthonesu. Commander-in-Chief – General Saw Steel Deputy Commander-in-Chief – Lieutenant General Saw Shwe Wa Chief of Staff – Colonel Saw Sein Win Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/klohhtoobor/ Although the DKBA continues to adhere to the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) on the pretext of regional development and peace, it has been affected by armed conflicts in its surrounding areas of operation and has been indirectly involved in these conflicts. Tackling drug and gambling issues remains a challenge for the DKBA. The DKBA became a member of the EAO Alliance after the NCA process stalled as a result of the military coup. While it has attempted to remain neutral in the conflicts between the military junta and resistance forces, it has not been able to avoid the military junta’s airstrikes and is under scrutiny from local resistance forces. On 23 May 2025, when KNU and allied forces captured the military junta’s Ba Ler Doh outpost on the Myawaddy-Waw Lay road, the junta troops fled to Thailand and then entered the DKBA headquarters in Sone See Myaing village. The Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the DKBA, Lieutenant General Saw Shwe Wa, stated that they would not allow the junta troops to be stationed there. On the evening of 16 July 2025, the junta launched an airstrike on the office of the DKBA’s Central Security Battalion (3) near Waw Lay Myaing, in the southern part of Myawaddy. The junta has been using a splinter group of the DKBA led by Bo Bi in its battles against resistance forces in Karen State. This group was formed under the guidance of the influential Kyar Inn Paw Taw Mu monk and fully supports the junta. The residence of DKBA Chief of Staff Colonel Saw Sein Win, who attended the “Peace Forum-2025” led by the military junta in Nay Pyi Taw, was attacked by a kamikaze drone at around 5 p.m. on 3 August 2025. A junta airstrike was also reported on the same day. 2 Colonel Saw Sein Win is known for stating that it would be difficult for the junta to hold elections in the DKBA-controlled areas and that it would be difficult to help organize elections without achieving genuine peace. The DKBA, which is trying to be cautious and avoid being used by the military junta, is now facing pressure from the military junta’s airstrikes. 2. Junta target DKBA Chief of Staff Colonel Saw Sein Win’s residence with suicide drone, Mizzima, 4 Aug 2025 Reference: Deciphering Myanmar’s Peace Process – A Reference Guide (2024 – 2025) |