A junta artillery regiment still holds Swal Taw Hill Camp in Myawaddy Township, Karen State, despite the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and its allies attacking the camp for the past month.

A revolutionary military source told KIC: "It has been over a month since the junta's hill camp was blocked. We have used drone strikes to drop bombs and sniper fire to maintain the blockade. The junta soldiers inside raised a white flag, which was taken down shortly after. Since nightfall, drones have continued to drop bombs, while the junta has responded with the MA 15 machine gun. So far, the firing has alternated between periods of stopping and restarting.”

As of the evening of 4 September, fighting between the junta forces and KNLA allied forces continues. Residents of nearby Myawaddy Township villages such as Mal Wah Khee, Lay Kay Kaw, Ya Thei Gu, and Phalu have been displaced and are taking refuge temporarily at Min Let Pan Village and Inngyin Myaing Monastery compound, also in Myawaddy Township.

A source currently sheltering at Lay Kay Kaw IDP camp said: “We had fled and taken shelter at Inngyin Myaing Monastery. We planned to go to the corn fields in the morning, but we couldn't go because fighting had intensified in that area. Currently, we are concerned about heavy artillery and the possibility of airstrikes. If that hill camp were no longer there, there would be no junta military presence on this side.”

There is ongoing fighting in Myawaddy Township and junta troops and Border Guard Force (BGF) forces based in Myawaddy Town are reinforcing their positions. They are also preparing to recapture the strategically important Thingannyinaung Strategic Hill, which is currently under the control of the KNLA and its allied forces.