Fighting has broken out between the Karenni Army (KA) and the Burma Army (BA) at three locations on the Thai-Burma border.

Aung San Myint, Karenni National Progress Party’s (KNPP) second secretary, told Kantarawaddy Time that the regime shelled its armed wing KA after Karenni snipers killed five soldiers, including an officer, on Tuesday 8 February.

“The enemy attacked our troops with artillery and fired 5 120-mm, 10 80-mm and many 60-mm shells,” the KNPP leader said, explaining that the first attack was at 11am on the Rambo camp, also called Datkhe.

He said KA killed two soldiers who were transporting food rations between camps. A soldier from BA Infantry Battalion (IB) 54 was killed at Huaypu Laung camp at 11:30am. And at around 5pm, a IB 53 soldier was shot at Mert Salaung camp.

Lately, KA has ambushed BA troops in Dor Oukhu and Mai Lon wards in Loikaw, where the junta’s offensive last month displaced many residents of the Karenni State capital after the KA captured Nat Taung camp on the east bank of the Salween River in Shar Taw Township on 7 January. According to KA, many regime fighters were killed on the Thai-Burma border on 3 February.

Aung San Myin said the KA killed about 50 junta soldiers since the military overthrew Aung San Suu Kyi’s government a year ago.

Over 170,000 people—more than half of the 300,000 people living in Burma’s smallest state—have fled regime offensives and fighting with KA and the other Karenni groups that oppose the dictatorship.