Myanmar’s military junta recaptured the town of Myawaddy, a major commercial hub on the border with Thailand, reversing a key victory for resistance soldiers who seized it nearly two weeks ago and were then forced to retreat, the spokesman said. the rebellious Karen National Union. Wednesday.
The takeover of Myawaddy by junta troops followed the defection of a well-armed local militia known as the Border Guard Force, which briefly switched sides and joined ethnic Karen rebels and allied pro-democracy forces. to take the city on April 11.
After joining forces with the junta, the militia on Tuesday helped free trapped soldiers from the regime and retake their battalion base on the outskirts of the city, where they raised Myanmar’s national flag, said spokesman Padoh Saw Taw Nee. of the Karen National Union, a political leadership body.
“In light of this critical situation and to avoid falling into the enemy’s trap, we must temporarily withdraw our joint Karen National Liberation Army forces from Myawaddy,” Saw Taw Nee said in an interview.
The takeover of the city by resistance forces had been the rebels’ most significant victory to date, as a broad alliance of ethnic armed groups and pro-democracy fighters have fought to overthrow the senior generals. who took power through a coup in 2021.
In recent months, resistance forces have taken dozens of towns and military posts in Myanmar’s border regions.
But Myawaddy, across the Moei River from the Thai city of Mae Sot, was an especially big prize, given its role as an import-export hub, with $1 billion in trade last year.
The regime attempted to recapture Myawaddy by sending a convoy with reinforcements from military bases less than three hours away.
But faced with frequent ambushes and assaults by guerrillas along the highway, the convoy had still not reached Myawaddy 12 days later, Saw Taw Nee said.
He said rebel troops withdrawn from Myawaddy would join the battle against junta forces along the highway.
The regime’s spokesman, General Zaw Min Tun, did not respond to repeated calls from the New York Times.
While the resistance controlled Myawaddy, the army bombed civilian targets in the town, including roads and a bus station, killing at least seven people and wounding 30, said Ko Zack, an ambulance team leader.
For decades, ethnic armed groups fought for the autonomy of their individual regions. But since the coup, many of the groups have joined forces with the goal of overthrowing the junta and replacing its leadership with a federal democracy.
“Our mission extends beyond the confines of Myawaddy,” Saw Taw Nee said. “Our goal is not simply a regime change to replace the country’s current rulers. Our goal is to achieve systemic change, transforming all corrupt systems within the nation.”