Since September 1, junta troops have been attempting to advance along the Asian Highway 1 (AH1) road section connecting Kawkareik and Myawaddy towns in Karen State, triggering intensified fighting with the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and the People’s Defence Force (PDF), resistance frontline sources reported.

Fierce fighting erupted around 11:00 pm on September 1 near Yankoke Village, just north of Kawkareik Town, and continued until noon the following day. Additional clashes were reported in the mountain range near Tawnaw Waterfall along AH1.

“The junta’s been shelling resistance positions with howitzers and MLRS (Multiple Launch Rocket System) batteries,” a resistance source told KIC.

Furthermore, fighting between Infantry Battalion 275 (IB 275) of the Myawaddy Garrison and the KNLA-led resistance coalition broke out around 10:00 pm on September 1 at a bridge near Thingannyinaung Village in Myawaddy Township and lasted until 2:00 am the following morning. Locals reported that the situation has since calmed.

The junta has been repairing a damaged bridge on AH1 at Kawtnwe Village, near the outskirts of Kawkareik Town, and since August has been preparing for an offensive along the highway by stockpiling large numbers of troops and artillery. On September 1, the KNLA-PDF coalition carried out a drone bombing on workers repairing the bridge, killing one person and injuring eight, according to a junta statement.

The junta lost control of the Kawkareik–Myawaddy section of AH1 in late 2023 and is now attempting to retake it.

Despite the junta’s determined efforts, resistance forces continue to hold firm control over the road section, resistance frontline sources said.