On 9 November 2024, the Karen National Union (KNU) captured a junta military base that the Tatmadaw (Myanmar Army) had held for about 70 years, in an area mainly controlled by KNU Brigade 5.

The base protects Kuseik Bridge in Dweiloe Township, in Karen State’s Hpapun District, which roughly corresponds to the KNU district of Mutraw, a district that the KNU refers to as the Brigade 5 area, which has traditionally been mainly under the control of KNU Brigade 5.

On 6 November, joint forces led by Brigade 5 launched an attack on the Kuseik Base and it was captured on 9 November. After its capture the KNU forces found the corpses of eight junta soldiers and weapons that included small arms, mortar shells, drone jammers, and ammunition on the base according to a KNU statement

It also said that two of the KNU coalition fighters were injured during the taking of the base.

Lieutenant Colonel Saw Kler Doh, a spokesperson for the Brigade 5, said: “The junta had been stationed at Kuseik Base for decades. On 6 November, Brigade 5 troops launched an offensive operation, and at 4:00 pm on 9 November, the Hpapun District-based battalions of Brigade 5 successfully captured it [the junta base].”

The base was manned by troops from Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 406

In October, a KNU-led coalition captured the Khawpoke military base, also in Hpapun District and seized over 100 small arms and a large amount of ammunition. The base had been a command centre for junta logistical operations