The remaining troops of the military junta’s Light Infantry Battalion 261, stationed near Nwar La Woe village in Loikaw, Karenni (Kayah) state, launched a raid near Yae Kan village on the night of 14 May, indicating the junta’s resumption of troop movements in the area, according to resistance sources.
“Now they are advancing towards Yae Kan village west of LIB 261. They have two armored fighting vehicles with them. We estimate their strength at 60 to 100 men,” said Marwi, deputy commander-in-chief of the Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF).
The troop movements began last week, and currently about 60 to 100 junta soldiers along with two armored fighting vehicles are conducting raids near Yae Kan village, Marwi said.
Due to this situation, residents and displaced people living in the surrounding areas have been urged to remain vigilant, Marwi said.
“Some locals are still living there. There are people on the farms. So once the junta troops go out for raids, there will be nothing good. We want to warn the locals to stay alert day and night, watch out for gunshots and sounds of airplanes. This is the only way we can minimize the number of unwanted casualties,” he said.
According to the information received, the junta resumed deploying its troops to receive the military columns coming into Loikaw from the Shan-Karenni border area. At the same time, the resistance forces were also preparing, the KNDF deputy chief added.
The military junta has stopped deploying troops outside its battalions after Operation 1111, during which the resistance forces took control of some areas.
Col. Bone Naing, adjutant general of the Karenni Army (KA), said the junta has re-deployed its troops to the area to try to regain control of the lost areas.
“The remaining troops of LIB 261 are coming out to operate. They want to regain control of areas such as Loikaw, the industrial zone and Nar Nat Taw,” the KA adjutant general said.
According to reports, some residents near the industrial zone were injured after the military junta carried out drone attacks with bombs, including poison bombs, in Loikaw.
Loikaw residents report that the junta soldiers no longer venture out of their bases in the city, and when they do, they do so in civilian clothes to mingle with residents.
Sent by Kantarawaddy Times.
