Around 1,000 men comprising the Karen Border Guard Force (BGF) and Junta troops, are coordinating on a plan to recapture of all the military bases, police stations, and tactical command centers incurred by the Junta in April around Myawaddy and Thinganyinaung in Karen State, according to a source close to the coup regime.
The Junta plans to merge its troops from Operation Aung Zay Ya with BGF members stationed in Kyondoe, Kawakarei, and Myawaddy, aiming to launch an offensive against allied resistance forces led by the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), the source said.
“Bo Myat Hlaing's Kyondoe BGF and Maung Win Aung's BGF factions accompanied Junta troops to Chaungphya, Kyoanbine, and Naungtapwe. Meanwhile the Kawkareik BGF, led by Bo Mote Thone and Saw Dee Dee in Myawaddy, are set to collaborate with the Junta for a massive operation against the People's Defense Force (PDF) in Thinganyinaung early this June, recognizing the challenges posed by the impending rainy season”, the source elaborated.
This operation is proof that the BGF has completely reversed its stance of declaring their breakaway from the military and ending their joint operations with the Junta in Myawaddy as reported by BNI on January 2024.
From noon until evening on June 1, intense clashes erupted between KNLA-led resistance fighters and a coalition of BGF and Junta troops near Tonetatdar, close to Ahhtetkwinkalay village, with the Junta resorting to airstrikes, according to frontline sources.
"We have witnessed renewed clashes in the area. Junta soldiers and BGF fighters from Myawaddy are moving towards Thinganyinaung. During the fighting, Junta planes dropped two bombs, leading to loud explosions, after which their combined forces retreated. By evening, the road linking Thinganyinaung and Ywarthit was shut down. The tension is escalating as Junta troops and BGF members are increasingly active around Myawaddy recently”, a Myawaddy local, close to the resistance forces told KIC.
Major Saw Tin Win, the tactical commander of BGD No. 2 military region, has denied reports that the Junta and BGF are planning to conduct joint military operations in the region. When contacted by KIC, he stated, "It is absolutely not true that BGF and Junta will join forces to attack Asia Road. That news is completely false. I do not know where these reports are coming from”.
Currently Junta forces from Kawkareik and Kyondoe are trying to reach Myawaddy by advancing through the old mountain route via the Daw Na Mountain Range. Meanwhile, Junta troops stationed in Myawaddy are preparing to advance towards the new Asia Road, joining forces with BGF's 1022nd and 1016th Battalions, amounting to approximately 1,000 in total.
With the Junta’s army desperately under -staffed, the regime is has become more dependent than ever on deployment of militia forces. The BGF is reported to have at five battalions based in Shwe Kokko and Myawaddy and its now very clear that just how dependent the regime is on proxy forces, to enable them to be able to fight back against the resistance.
