Resistance forces take a major Burma Army camp after a long battle and Rangers serve five villages with 1,981 people. 

Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) soldiers, with the help of People’s Defence Force (PDF) special forces, took part of the main Burma Army camp at Ka Ter Hti Village, Mu Traw District, on Jan. 22 and completely secured the camp by Jan. 23. This victory was the culmination of almost two months of fighting in and around Ka Ter Hti. Burma Army soldiers from Battalion 401, 402, and 403, all under the command of the Military Operations Command 8, fled the camp to the Border Guard Force (BGF) Battalion 1013 camp nearby. Burma Army soldiers have continued to clash with resistance troops from their new positions in the BGF camp. From Jan. 22 to 27, Burma military supported ground troops in Ka Ter Hti, conducting four airdrop resupply missions with Y-8 aircraft, at least eight airstrikes with jets and Y-12 aircraft, and artillery fire support with 120mm shells. An FBR team, who has remained at Ka Ter Hti over the course of the battle, assisted with medical treatment to casualties and encouragement to resistance soldiers. 

From Jan. 22 to 25, in the vicinity of Let Ka Village, Kler Lwi Htoo District, Rangers conducted GLCs, medical clinics, and information collection. Ranger medics treated 192 patients, with cases including leprosy, corrective lenses, and common ailments. Rangers served people from five villages: Let Ka, Htun Wa Z, Ywa Ka La, Shwe Thaung, and Pui Daw Tha. The combined population of the four villages is 1,981 people. On Jan. 25, the Burma Army shelled Let Ka Village, destroying a house after a GLC program.

The Burma military launched mortars and airstrikes in Doo Tha Htoo and Dooplaya districts, causing five civilian casualties and damage to homes. Rangers also assisted over 541 civilians and IDPs through GLC, water supply systems, and other material support.

In Doo Tha Htoo District, the Burma Army launched 120mm mortar rounds in Nga Pyaw Taw Village, Kyaikhto Township, on Jan. 21, killing a mother instantly, wounding her 15-year-old daughter and two other women, and destroying a house. The same day, Burma military aircraft dropped two 500lb bombs into a rubber plantation between Kyonr Sein and Pa Lan Taung Villages in Hpa-an Township, with no reported casualties or damage.

Rangers provided support and encouragement to some very resilient civilians in the conflict zones in Doo Tha Htoo District. Rangers donated a wheelchair to a disabled elderly woman. It was the first time in her entire life that she had ever moved around the village without being carried. We praise God she can receive this chair and we also pray for her healing. Separately, near Kwee Lay Village in Bilin Township, high school students demonstrated determination by starting their school classes in the jungle due to Burma Army airstrikes and artillery fire nearby.

In Kaw T’ree Township, Dooplaya District, a Burma military Yak-130 jet dropped two 500lb bombs in Kyaikdon Town on Jan. 22, killing a woman and damaging a fire station and four houses.

Elsewhere in Kaw T’ree Township, Rangers conducted a GLC program at a local primary school in K’Neh Lay IDP Camp for approximately 50 students and four teachers. They sang songs, played games, and shared the Gospel. They also installed a water filter system for the camp of 400 IDPs, provided them with school supplies, and a financial donation. Separately, Rangers and local students repaired leaks along a 2km water pipe, restoring critical water supply for a local high school of 140 students.