Junta troops carrying out security operations in Kyainseikgyi Township, Karen State, have detained local civilians without justification.

A Thanpuyar villager reported that a junta column marching along the Monywa-Chaungnakwa-Kyainseikgyi Road reached Thanpuyar Village on September 16 and arbitrarily arrested local fishermen.

“Five villagers, including U Min Soe, were arrested by soldiers for no reason while they were fishing in Thanpuyar Stream. They were just local fishermen,” said the villager, who is currently evacuating the village due to the troops’ presence.

Locals reported that a resident of Thanpuyar Village was killed by arbitrary artillery shelling carried out by junta troops.

Junta battalions based in Kyainseikgyi Town have been firing artillery ahead of their advancing ground troops to clear the way. The junta has also launched drone and artillery strikes, in addition to deploying ground forces, in an effort to retake the entire Kyainseikgyi–Kyaikmaraw–Khalel–Takhuntaing road section, according to sources from the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA)-led resistance coalition.

"Right now, a column sent from the junta’s Southeastern Regional Command, another that left Kyainseikgyi, and one advancing from Kyaikmaraw Town and Kalagon Village are all operating in this area. They’re believed to be spread out between Kyainseikgyi, Kyeikdon, and Payathonzu towns. On top of that, a junta column has also moved out from Taungkyarinn Village in Kawkareik Township. So, skirmishes are happening across different parts of the region," a resistance source said.

On September 15, officers from the Southeastern Regional Command arrived by helicopter at the Kyainseikgyi-based Tactical Operations Command to meet with officers from the Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA) and other junta-aligned Karen groups. According to DKBA sources, the junta officials requested assistance with repairing damaged roads and bridges in the region and providing security escorts for their troops.