According to Karen military sources, over thirty new military recruits from a reinforcement column that arrived at Infantry Battalion 545 in Kyaindone town, Kawkareik Township, Karen State, have fled, prompting the military to conduct extensive search operations in the area. The reinforcement column, which included new recruits and militia members, was being deployed to Infantry Battalion 545 when the mass desertion occurred. The military has launched intensive search operations throughout the region connected to Kyaindone town to apprehend the fleeing recruits.
Six of the fleeing recruits were recaptured at a restaurant in Kyaindone town, and the military has set up checkpoints at strategic locations including Gyaing Bridge, Thamanya, Hindu, and Hpa-an Thanlwin Bridge to capture the remaining deserters. Currently, intense fighting is occurring around Inkyin village near Kyaindone town, and there are reports of some soldiers from military columns defecting to the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA). The military casualties in the Kyaindone area from August 20 to the end of the month numbered around 40, including new recruits.
The military has forced village administrators to bury the bodies of fallen soldiers at the Gyaing village cemetery, while the wounded are being transported to Hpa-an South Hospital using funeral service vehicles requisitioned from Gyaing village. The situation has become increasingly tense as KNLA allied forces, including those led by Major Eh Say Wah, continue their offensive operations against military positions around Kyaindone town. In response, the military has been targeting civilian villages with heavy artillery and multiple rocket launches, resulting in civilian casualties and forcing many residents to flee their homes.
The ongoing conflict has led to a significant humanitarian crisis in the region, with local civilians bearing the brunt of the military’s aggressive tactics. The military’s use of heavy weapons against civilian areas has caused extensive damage to residential areas and infrastructure, while the forced recruitment and subsequent desertion of new soldiers highlights the growing instability within the military’s ranks. The situation continues to deteriorate as fighting intensifies and more civilians are displaced from their homes, seeking refuge in safer areas away from the conflict zone.
