A helicopter appeared to have been hit while flying over Myawaddy Township in Karen State on Saturday, as fighting between the military and the Karen National Union (KNU) – along with its allied resistance forces – escalated along the Thai-Myanmar border April 20.
A video shared with Reuters showed thick black smoke rising from behind buildings in Myawaddy town. Thai media reported that 200 civilians crossed the border into Thailand to escape the fighting.
Resistance forces, led by the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), seized the vital Thai-Myanmar border town of Myawaddy on April 11, which is an economic lifeline for the cash-strapped military regime.
The regime took power in Naypyidaw after it ousted Aung San Suu Kyi‘s elected National League for Democracy government – arresting her and President Win Myint on Feb. 1, 2021 – during the military coup. The jailed leaders were allegedly moved from their prison cells to house arrest on April 17.
The military has faced unprecedented losses on the battlefield against Ethnic Armed Organizations (EAOs) since an offensive called Operation 1027 was launched by the Brotherhood Alliance in northern Shan State, along the China border, on Oct. 27. Several EAOs – though not all in Myanmar – are resisting a return to military rule and have unified to establish a federal democratic union.
REUTERS
