Myanmar's military junta has rotated battered frontline troops and launched fresh offensives south of the key border town of Myawaddy in Karen State, where heavy fighting against ethnic resistance forces remains ongoing, local military sources said.
Forces under Light Infantry Division 55 (LID 55), which reportedly sustained heavy casualties during recent clashes near Hpalu and Minletpan villages, were pulled back and replaced by fresh units from Light Infantry Division 22 (LID 22) and the junta’s Coastal Region Command.
According to resistance sources, LID 55 columns withdrew on July 20 under orders from the tactical command based at Infantry Battalion 275 in Myawaddy.
Following the withdrawal, newly formed assault columns under Military Operations Command 13 (MOC 13), which includes LID 22 elements, resumed offensive maneuvers to secure the territory.
"Up until around July 15, LID 55's offensives were repeatedly repulsed, and their units suffered heavy losses," a fighter with the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA)—the armed wing of the Karen National Union (KNU)—told local media. "Junta commanders pulled LID 55 back toward Hpa-An, the capital of Karen State, while new columns pushed into Minletpan. Heavy clashes continue in two primary locations."
Local sources reported seeing a convoy of approximately 20 military vehicles transporting withdrawing LID 55 troops toward Hpa-An on the morning of July 21.
Meanwhile, the military’s troop deployment faced immediate setbacks. On July 18, one of eight military trucks transporting incoming LID 22 reinforcements overturned near the Kuntheetaw curve along Asian Highway 1 (AH1) while en route to Myawaddy.
"Two soldiers were killed, and about 10 others were injured in the rollover," a local rescue worker said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Emergency teams from Myawaddy and Thingannyinaung responded to the crash site and towed the vehicle away.
The renewed clashes are centered in territory controlled by KNU Brigade 6. The junta has deployed thousands of troops supported by heavy artillery and airstrikes in an effort to regain control over strategic border areas near the Thailand-Myanmar border.
