By Min AB / MPA
KAWKAREIK, Karen State — Intense fighting has broken out in Karen State as the Myanmar military launches a multi-pronged offensive to regain control of the strategic Asia Highway and expand its footprint across Kawkareik Township, according to local military sources.
The military junta has deployed significant reinforcements, advancing in three separate columns. These forces have pushed into villages along the Dawna Mountain range north of Kawkareik, as well as the Kyondo-Kawkareik road and southern villages including Anphelay and Anpgyi.
“They are trying to expand their territory to reopen the Asia Highway,” a military source from the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) told MPA. “Their primary goal is to retake outposts they lost in the north. Fighting is ongoing at the foot of the Dawna mountains, and tensions remain high in the southern sectors.”
The offensive is reportedly being supported by the DKBA splinter group (Bo Bi’s faction) and the Border Guard Force (BGF), both of whom possess intimate knowledge of the local terrain. Sources indicate that the military’s heavy reliance on drones and intensive artillery strikes has forced Karen resistance forces to temporarily withdraw from several tactical positions near the highway.
While the military maintains control over the urban centers of Kawkareik and Kyondo, resistance forces continue to dominate much of the surrounding rural territory.
“Soldiers are stationed throughout the town, but the outskirts are contested,” a Kawkareik resident shared. “We hear artillery fire almost constantly. Many villagers have fled into the town for safety, but everyone lives in fear, never knowing when the urban fighting will flare up again.”
Military analysts suggest the junta is attempting to capitalize on a perceived ammunition shortage among resistance groups, employing a “war of attrition” strategy. The military currently has approximately ten battalions stationed in the area under the 12th Military Operations Command (MOC-12).
“If they want to reopen the Asia Highway, they must clear the surrounding high ground,” explained a 45-year-old observer of Karen military affairs. “The resistance currently holds former outposts within artillery range of the road. The military is escalating its operations specifically to retake those heights.”
The conflict has taken a heavy toll on civilians. Recent reports indicate that junta airstrikes and shelling have destroyed numerous homes and religious buildings, resulting in multiple civilian casualties. While casualties have also been reported among the resistance forces, official figures have not yet been released.
Despite the military’s claims of territorial control, the region remains volatile. In recent days, the junta has reportedly been forcing cargo trucks and passenger vehicles to use the Asia Highway in an attempt to project a sense of normalcy, despite the ongoing threat of active combat.
