Irrawaddy-Mar 9
Myanmar regime forces are continuing to clash with a combined force of Karenni Army (KA) and Karenni Nationalities Defense Force (KNDF) fighters in southern Shan State, with over 5,000 local residents displaced by the fighting.
Clashes broke out again on March 9 near Saung Pyaung Village in Shan’s Pinlaung Township, where junta troops and Karenni resistance fighters clashed for the first time in the township on February 24. The KA and KNDF launched an attack on a junta outpost in Saung Pyaung on February 24, where military regime soldiers and pro-junta Pa-O National Army (PNA) fighters are based. Pinlaung Township is part of the Pa-O Self-Administered Zone governed by the Pa-O National Organization (PNO), the political wing of the PNA. More than 5,000 residents from Saung Pyaung and nearby villages have been displaced by the fighting, according to locals and aid groups. “Clashes broke out again at around 6am near Saung Pyaung, which is located on the border of Pinlaung and Pekon townships. The Karenni groups have captured some villages and so the Myanmar military is now shelling them,” said the administrator of a village near Saung Pyaung, who is currently sheltering at a monastery in Pinlaung Town along with hundreds of other refugees. Almost two weeks after being forced to flee, the refugees are in urgent need of supplies. “We still need food and medicine,” said one displaced female resident of Taung Sa Lone Village. Read more at: https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/thousands-displaced-as-myanmar-junta-forces-clash-with-karenni-resistance.html
