Karen National Union headquarters in Hpa-An District of Karen State ‘bombed 20 times’
Twenty airstrikes were reportedly carried out on the Karen National Union (KNU) Brigade 7 headquarters in the state capital Hpa-An District on Sunday. The KNU headquarters is located on the Myanmar-Thailand border opposite Tha Song Yang District of Tak Province.
A resident told DVB that they counted 25 airstrikes with some bombs remaining unexploded. Initial reports said bombs landed on a hospital, and one civilian sustained minor injuries. No fatalities have been reported by the KNU.
A source in the KNU told DVB that an unknown number of residents fled across the Thaungyin (Moei) River into Thailand’s Tak Province to seek safety.
Thai media reported that the authorities are providing temporary shelter for residents from Karen State who have fled their homes due to airstrikes carried out by the Myanmar Air Force.
These strikes are taking place two days ahead of a planned gathering for Karen Martyrs’ Day, which commemorates the assassination of Karen leader Saw Ba U Gyi on Aug. 12, 1950.
Sources told DVB that the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), the armed wing of the KNU, and its allied resistance forces have been fighting regime forces over control of the Wawlay outpost in Myawaddy Township since July 3.
Only the Wawlay and Htithellel outposts remain under regime control in Karen State’s Myawaddy Township, which is located along the Myanmar-Thailand border 82 miles (131 km) east of Hpa-An.
The KNU stated that the regime launched Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), or drone, attacks against Brigade 7 on March 18 but reported no casualties.
