The Burma Army used 120mm mortars and drones to attack five villages in Kler Lwe Htoo District and Mu Traw District, harming six villagers, killing two and destroying several houses. 

In Ler Doh Township, Kler Lwe Htoo District, the Burma military fired 120mm mortars into A Lae Village on Feb. 3, burning three houses, killing one villager and injuring another. On Feb. 4, the Burma military fired two 120mm mortars into Taung K Village monastery, injuring a monk. Burma Army from Pin Za Lok base fired 120mm mortars into Nge Pe Inn Village and injured one villager. On the same day, the Burma Army attacked Taung K Village twice with drones, damaging some houses, but there were no casualties. On Feb. 5, In Dwe Loh Township, Mu Traw District, Burma military Y-12 aircraft dropped three bombs in Pah Lo Village, damaging a church building and some houses. On Feb. 6, Burma military used drones to attack Taung K Village and Pa Ya Ngok Toe Village, killing one villager and injuring another three. 

On Feb. 4, four Burma military deserters surrendered to the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) in Kler Lwe Htoo District. The Burma Army had detained them under the conscription law in Pyay, Pago, Yangon and Karen State. Though they never supported the regime, they were forced to comply under threat of torture and imprisonment. Saw April, one of the deserters, recounted his story for our teams.

“On that day (that I was captured), I didn’t have rice for dinner and was arrested on the way back home. They sent me to a training camp straight away. I wanted to at least give money to my children so they could eat, but they sent me to Maw Toe Hsu training camp. They trained us for three months and told us we would be sent to the reserves. Instead, they sent us to the front line straight away. We were ambushed and seven or eight of our soldiers were wounded. I was lucky because I was far from the mortar, but if I was closer I would have been hit.”

The Burma Army burned down homes in Dooplaya District and launched airstrikes in Doo Tha Htoo District, destroying civilian property.

In Dooplaya District the Burma Army burned down 14 villager houses, from Jan. 29 to Feb. 1, in Noh Chu Neh Village, Win Yae Township. The Burma Army likely destroyed these houses to deny the KNLA and People’s Defence Force (PDF) the opportunity to use the village for cover, as it is positioned adjacent to the Burma Army camp. The Burma Army had reinforced this camp at Noh Chu Neh (Annan Kwin) with more than one hundred soldiers from Light Infantry Division (LID) 44 last month to prevent the camp from falling to the encircling resistance forces. There are more than 300 Burma Army soldiers in the camp who are still surrounded, with many wounded. If the Burma military loses this camp their key logistical route to Thailand through Payathonzu would be cut off and the military would likely lose control of the Thai border there. Additionally, Rangers were able to provide medication to four sick KNLA soldiers in the frontline area, also in Win Yae Township.

In Doo Tha Htoo District, the military launched two airstrikes in Bilin Township, destroying civilian buildings. A Burma military Y-12 dropped mortar bombs on Feb. 7, damaging the school in Ah Su Chang Village. In Tee Chi Baw (Ta Gay Laung) Village, a Burma military jet fighter conducted an airstrike in early February, destroying the Tee Chi Baw Monastery and damaging some homes.