Myanmar Junta Recaptures Key Karen Hilltop Amid Fierce Fighting

Myanmar regime troops have tightened their grip on Karen State’s Lay Kay Kaw after resistance forces withdrew from a key hilltop position overlooking the town near the Thai-Myanmar border, The Irrawaddy reports.

The junta recaptured the Swe Taw Gone hilltop from Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA)-led resistance forces on Sunday, according to regime media and frontline sources. The regime now controls most of Lay Kay Kaw, including the hilltop post and a park situated 2 kilometers to the south.

Located 14 km south of Myawaddy, Lay Kay Kaw was established as a sanctuary for displaced people in 2015 with support from Japan’s Nippon Foundation. It also gave refuge to political dissidents after the 2021 coup, making it a target for regime troops seeking to detain opposition politicians.

The KNLA and allies had seized control of the town in October last year.

“Regime forces have occupied areas at the bottom of [Swe Taw Gone], but no one dares to station troops at the summit yet,” a frontline resistance source told The Irrawaddy, adding that all military infrastructure on the hilltop had been flattened, exposing it to attacks.

The source said resistance fighters have retreated to the other side of the town but declined to give precise positions over security concerns.

Large numbers of junta troops, backed by the Karen Border Guard Force (BGF) and supported by airstrikes, artillery and suicide drones support, pushed into the western part of the town over the last few weeks.

Before its capture by Karen fighters a year ago, Swe Taw Gone was a regime stronghold that maintained control of the area through indiscriminate shelling of nearby villages, causing heavy civilian casualties.

The source said fighting was now intensifying at Minletpan village, 8 km southeast of Lay Kay Kaw, where resistance groups have been attempting to hold back the junta’s advance since last Wednesday.

The regime has been pushing southwards from Myawaddy since early September after vowing to hold elections in the township on December 28. Three junta-allied Karen groups have pledged to support the election plan by providing security.

A Karen political observer said Lay Kay Kaw’s recapture may have already the regime’s election goal, suggesting it may be reluctant to sacrifice more troops by advancing into resistance-held areas beyond the town.

“It [the regime] has already suffered heavily in its attempt to recapture the town. The areas it controls now are enough to hold an election. Pushing more for territorial control would not have much impact politically.”

Aid workers said over 3,000 residents from Lay Kay Kaw and nearby villages have fled to temporary shelters near the Moi River along Thai border.

The observer said it was unclear how the regime plans to conduct the election in Lay Kay Kaw while residents remain in displacement camps.