Eight junta soldiers were killed and 12 others injured in an ambush attack on a military convoy travelling on the Yangon-Mawlamyine road near Alu village in Bilin Township in Thaton District in Mon State, which is the Karen National Union’s (KNU) Brigade-1 Territory.
On 18 October, the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and allied forces ambushed a military convoy of eight vehicles between the fuel filling station and the plywood factory in Alu village, destroying a military vehicle, killing six junta soldiers and injuring seven, according to a military source.
On 19 October, the KNLA and allied forces shot patrolling plain-clothed junta soldiers near the location of previous fighting, using light arms. Three more junta soldiers were killed and five others were injured in the encounter, according to a member of the combined force.
“On 18 October, they advanced with eight vehicles, and we attacked the third one. About two vehicles retreated to Kyaikto via the Thantada checkpoint. The next day, we attacked them with small arms as they altered the appearance of their vehicles and patrolled in civilian clothes,” the member said.
Fighting took place for two consecutive days. The military council indiscriminately fired heavy and light weapons into Yangon-Mawlamyine road section, battle areas and nearby areas. Some houses were damaged. No one was killed or injured, according to local residents from Bilin.
The military council has cut off power and some phone lines in the nearby villages. Locals should exercise caution when going outside due to the junta’s artillery shelling, said a local woman from Alu village.
“Some houses along the road were hit by bullets, and shells landed on the outskirts of the village. No one was injured since heavy shells didn’t land directly in the villages. We’re afraid of planes, and artillery shelling has become normal. Villagers stay alert only when they hear heavy shelling; otherwise, they walk calmly. Since the day the fighting began, electricity and some phone lines have been cut off,” the local woman said.
Members of PDF-Battalion-7805, Company-4, and the All Burma Students’ Democratic Front (ABSDF)-Battalion-3 joined the fighting alongside the KNLA. The KNLA and allied forces reportedly suffered no casualties.
The military council usually uses Yangon-Mawlamyine road section near Alu village in Bilin Township for the supply of troops. Since the coup, there have been frequent clashes with the revolutionary forces due to inspections and patrols in the area.
The military council often fires heavy shells during fighting in Alu village-tract and nearby areas. Locals have fled several times in the past.
This region continues to be a place where people have to stay amid ongoing insecurity, according to news sources.
Sent by KIC
