Clashes reignited in Hpasawng Township, Karenni (Kayah) State, on July 11, with Colonel Phone Naing, the Adjutant General of the Karenni Army (KA), accusing the junta of likely dropping poison gas bombs during airstrikes.

"The news about armed clashes is true. There were casualties on both sides. We have heard reports that the enemy used gas bombs in airstrikes, injuring some of our boys. We are still investigating to confirm these allegations”, he said.

At around 5:00 am on July 11, intense clashes broke out when resistance forces attacked the junta's 134th Infantry Battalion, based west of Hpasawng.

Colonel Phone Naing added that the junta engaged in the fighting with a combined force of five battalions.

In Hpasawng, only the 134th and 135th infantry battalions remained as junta strongholds, and by May 13, resistance forces had captured a defensive outpost within the territory of the 135th Battalion.

The first wave of fighting in Hpasawng began on February 29, with junta airstrikes and shelling causing many homes to be burned and destroyed.

Almost all residents have been displaced by the war.

The resistance forces have been trying to seize the junta's two battalion bases in the town for about five months now.