Around 60 junta soldiers involved in the junta’s 10 month old Operation Aung Zay Ya to retake the Myawaddy to Kawkareik section of the Asia Highway in Karen State have surrendered.
The junta launched Operation Aung Zay Ya on 9 April 2024. Its aim was to retake full control of the Asia Highway between the Karen State towns of Myawaddy, on the border with Thailand, and Kawkareik as well as the old road between Myawaddy and Kawkareik that runs through the Dawna Mountain range which, prior to the opening of the Asia Highway in August 2015, was the main route connecting Myawaddy to Kawkareik Town and the rest of Myanmar.
On top of the approximately 60 soldiers who surrendered to the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and allied people's defence forces (PDFs) a further approximately 10 junta soldiers have been captured during fighting on the roads.
A resistance force officer said to KIC: “In the 10 months leading up to December, many junta troops surrendered to the KNLA and PDFs, either by waving white flags or being captured alive during combat. For instance, in November, around 30 troops from junta columns near Kawkareik surrendered, and about 30 more surrendered to KNLA’s Cobra Column on the Myawaddy front. When adding those captured alive during fighting, the total comes to about 70. The junta has already suffered hundreds of casualties, yet almost every day, the enemy continues its attempted advances by replenishing its manpower.”
On 31 December 2024 the KNLA gave cash rewards to the 30 junta soldiers who surrendered to its Cobra Column as well as providing them with healthcare and assistance in contacting their families.
According to another resistance source, most of those who surrendered were not carrying weapons and had fled with little more than the uniforms on their backs.
He said: “Those who were unable to carry weapons were given a reward of 100,000 MMK, while those who managed to bring weapons received 3 million MMK. Some of the surrendered had artillery shells, grenades, and bullets, while others deserted without weapons and contacted the KNLA later to surrender. Some deserters were recaptured by junta troops, while others managed to escape through different routes without reaching the KNLA.”
The junta is firing artillery and rockets and launching drone strikes on the Myawaddy to Kawkareik section of the Asia Highway on a daily basis from its Kawkareik Township-based Military Operations Command 12 (MOC 12), the hill-top artillery base in Hlaingwa Village in Kawkareik Township, and Infantry Battalion 97 (IB 97) in Kawkareik Town.
Junta ground forces are also continuing with Operation Aung Zay Ya and fighting with the KNLA-led coalition every day.
