Fighting continues in Karen State’s Kawkareik Township, where the junta is using artillery and drones to attack villages along the road between Kyondoe and Nabu towns, forcing thousands of residents to flee.

After recapturing the Kawkareik-Kyondoe road section in the Karen National Union (KNU)’s 6th Brigade territory, the junta has continued its offensive on the Kyondoe-Nabu road section in the KNU’s 7th Brigade territory, sparking clashes with the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA)-led resistance forces. The KNLA is the armed wing of the KNU.

Fighting between KNLA-led resistance groups and the junta has raged for nearly two weeks near Chaunghpyar Village on the Kyondoe-Nabu road, with the junta carrying out airstrikes, artillery bombardments, and drone attacks, according to locals.

Artillery and drone strikes by junta troops stationed in Kyondoe Town have hit villages along the Kyondoe-Nabu road, destroying some houses, forcing residents to flee, a displaced villager said.

“We've been evacuating for about two weeks now. Most of the villagers have already fled. Only a few have stayed behind as guards, and most of them are elderly,” he told Than Lwin Times.

In recent clashes, junta columns that tried to advance aggressively were hit hard by resistance forces and forced to retreat.

The junta is currently attempting to seize full control of the Kyondoe-Nabu Road and extend its control to the connected areas of Nabugwin, Myapataing, Yinkwetaung, and Kawkareik, while also trying to secure the region’s vital route, the Asia Highway One (AH1).

The junta is simultaneously launching offensives from both the Myawaddy-Kawkareik section of AH1 and the old road across the Dawna Mountain Range connecting the two towns, employing large forces along with extensive airstrikes, drone attacks, and artillery shelling.