The KNLA allied forces have confirmed that an attack using three rocket-propelled grenades on Infantry Battalion 545, based in Kyun Don Town, Karen State, resulted in the destruction of a phone tower and severe injuries to one officer and one soldier from the military council forces. The attack, which occurred in the afternoon of April 27, saw one rocket hit and explode inside the battalion compound, another strike a Telenor tower near the battalion at Ward 1, and a third hit the fence at the rear of the battalion compound. Military sources within the Kyun Don combat zone provided details of the precision strike.
Following the attack, the military council forces retaliated by indiscriminately firing heavy weapons toward Kyun Don villages, resulting in civilian casualties in Thayet Taw village, though the exact number of victims remains unconfirmed. Additionally, military council soldiers, Pyu Saw Htee members, and people’s militia forces, dressed in civilian clothes but carrying weapons, have been reported looting abandoned homes and businesses of civilians who fled the fighting. Local residents have revealed that these armed groups are specifically targeting evacuated properties and shops, particularly along the riverfront area, while avoiding homes that still have occupants present.
Currently, fighting continues in the Kyun Don region, with ongoing clashes between the military council forces and KNLA allied forces near Kaw War Lay village. Additionally, ground battles, artillery exchanges, and drone warfare continue intensively around the Nine Pillars bunker in Kawkareik town and the Yan Kut village bunker. Most local residents have fled to the Gyaing area for safety, while their abandoned homes and businesses face continued looting and destruction by military council forces. The situation represents an ongoing pattern of civilian displacement and property destruction as the conflict in Karen State intensifies, with resistance forces maintaining pressure on military council positions while civilian populations bear the brunt of the military’s retaliatory actions.
