Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and its allied forces have seized control of the junta’s Mutel camp on the Kyaukgyi- Mutel road in Nyaunglebin District, Karen National Union (KNU) Brigade-3 Territory, KNU’s Spokesperson Padoh Saw Kale Say confirmed.
On 3 January, the joint force captured the Mutel Camp on the strategically important Kyaukgyi-Mutel road, which had been used by the military council as a logistics route, according to local sources on the ground.
When asked by the KIC about the situation, Spokesperson Padoh Saw Kale Say stated that, despite the capture of Mutel Camp, area clearance operations are ongoing. He also noted that the military council is carrying out aerial bombings in the area.
Padoh Saw Kale Say said, “We have taken full control of the camp. However, the fighting continues, and there are still areas to be cleared. We are pursuing the fleeing soldiers, and the aerial bombings are still ongoing.”
While the KNLA is working to capture the military council’s main camp, which extends into the territory of the KNU Brigade (5), residents in the surrounding areas have reported that the military council is not only conducting airstrikes but also attacking with heavy weapons.
On the afternoon of 3 January, a heavy shell fired by the junta landed and exploded near a house in Indaingkone village, injuring a teenage girl.
A local man said, “Since yesterday (3 January), I heard that many parts of the camp have been captured, except for a few bunkers. My house is close to the camp, so I heard the sounds of heavy shelling. A 15-year-old girl from Indaingkone village came to her relative’s house. She sustained minor injuries when a heavy shell landed near the house.”
The KNU is still inquiring about the list of weapons and ammunition seized from the military council during the battle to capture the camp.
The military council has been carrying out the extension of road since before the coup. It uses this route to transport rations to the camps in Brigade-3 and Brigade-5. In addition, local residents are forced to live in constant fear as the military council fires on suspected areas.
Even after the coup, the military council continued to use this road to transport food, leading to clashes between the local revolutionary forces and the military council. As the military council targeted nearby villages, local sources report that residents from these areas have been forced to flee their homes.
Sent by KIC.
