The National Unity Government (NUG) has denied the military junta’s claim that it had captured the NUG’s Special Region Military Headquarters and 11 Karen National Union/Karen National Liberation Army (KNU/KNLA) bases in areas along the border between Mon State and Bago Region, saying the junta’s announcement was not entirely accurate.
Junta-controlled media widely reported on November 9 and 10 that junta forces had launched offensives and captured the NUG’s Special Region Military Headquarters and KNLA bases in Kyaikto and Shwegyin townships between November 3 and 8, seizing weapons and ammunition.
In response, Nay Phone Latt, spokesperson for the NUG Prime Minister’s Office, told Mizzima that the junta’s propaganda statements were disconnected from the actual situation on the ground.
“The terrorist military’s statements are not entirely accurate. The Special Region is a mobile military region, and its headquarters is also mobile. There is no such thing as the Special Region Headquarters falling. PDF forces and revolutionary groups are engaging and attacking enemy forces that have advanced deep into this battle zone. We cannot disclose further details at this time, but we will make an announcement with supporting information when the time is appropriate,” Nay Phone Latt told Mizzima.
Local sources said intense clashes had erupted between junta troops and resistance forces led by the KNLA after more than 1,000 junta soldiers advanced into the area. More than 15,000 residents from over 20 villages, including Wadet Kwin and Zee Byawng, have reportedly fled their homes to seek safety.
On September 24, junta forces also carried out an airstrike on the location of the Special Region Military Headquarters, killing several resistance members, including Staff Sergeant Nay Win Aung, an air force serviceman who had joined the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM).
Mizzima