Karen Rebels Close To Seizing Myanmar Trading Town

Members of the Karen National Liberation Army and People’s Defense Force collect weapons after they captured an army outpost, in the southern part of Myawaddy township in Kayin state, Myanmar, March 1

Guerrilla fighters from Myanmar's Karen ethnic minority are on the brink of capturing the major trading town of Myawaddy, which borders Thailand. The Karen National Liberation Army, the armed wing of the Karen National Union (KNU), has made significant advances, besieging strategic army outposts on the town's outskirts.

Myawaddy, located in Kayin state, serves as Myanmar's busiest trading post with Thailand. Its potential fall would mark another setback for the military government, which has faced a series of defeats since October 2021 when ethnic rebel groups launched an offensive in the country's northeast.