The Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and allied forces are conducting intense attacks on military council camps near Strategic Operations Command-12 in Kawkareik Township, Karen State. The offensive began on the evening of April 14, targeting military positions around Yin Kwe Mountain near SOC-12, which had been using howitzer tanks to shell villages along the Kyun Doe road. The military council’s operations have forced local civilians to flee their homes and seek shelter in safer areas.
Military council units including Infantry Battalion 545 and 546 have been continuously firing heavy weapons from their controlled positions along Yin Kwe Mountain at civilian areas including Ye Pu Gyi, Kawwalay, Win Pya, Naung Taman, Themin Dut, Taung Kampareik, Migalon, and Kan Ni villages. The KNLA and allied forces launched their offensive against the Yin Kwe Mountain area in response to these artillery attacks targeting civilian populations. The fighting has intensified, with the military council conducting airstrikes on Win Ka village in southern Kawkareik around 9 AM on April 15.
The military council has deployed security forces and patrols around the entrance to Kyun Doe town, including Nwa Chan Kone, Karen Su, Ko Taing, Nga Taing, and Kawwalay villages. With ongoing aerial reconnaissance missions in the area, local residents have been forced to evacuate to villages across the Gyaing River and towards Thamanya village. The contested Yin Kwe Mountain area has been under the control of the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), Border Guard Force (BGF), and military council troops, who have been operating checkpoints to collect money from cargo trucks and passenger vehicles passing through the area.
