The Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF) claimed that 17 were killed, including 15 regime troops, in Moebye town of Pekon Township, southern Shan State, on Friday. Moebye is located 100 miles (160 km) south of the Shan State capital Taunggyi and 11 miles (17 km) north of the Karenni State capital Loikaw.
“The military attacked so we counter-attacked. It was back and forth. They received artillery support from Pekon,” Banyar Aung, the Karenni Interim Executive Council (IEC) second secretary, told DVB. The IEC is a provisional government in Karenni State set up by resistance forces in 2023.
Banyar Aung claimed that the regime dropped incendiary bombs during the fighting in Moebye, which intensified on Thursday. At least 20 homes were destroyed by the resulting fire.
“We recaptured most of our outposts [seized on March 13] by the [regime],” a resistance force spokesperson in southern Shan told DVB. The KNDF claimed that it had captured seven assault rifles and ammunition from regime forces.
Southern Shan and Karenni-based resistance groups took control of several military outposts and Moebye after it launched an offensive against regime forces called Operation 1111 on Nov. 11, 2023.
The regime launched a counteroffensive to retake control of Moebye on Nov. 14. It has used Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV), or drones, against resistance forces. A resistance group calling itself the Southern Shan State Revolutionary Youth stated that five of its members have been killed by regime forces in Moebye since January.
