MYAWADDY, Myanmar — A combined force of the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and local People’s Defence Force (PDF) units executed a devastating ambush on a convoy of Myanmar junta troops south of the strategic border town of Myawaddy. The coordinated strike left more than 20 regime soldiers dead and multiple military vehicles destroyed.

The operation targeted a column of troops operating under the military junta's Military Operations Command 13 (MOC-13), which has been attempting to advance through resistance-held territories.

According to frontline resistance commanders, intelligence units had been tracking the movement of junta reinforcements moving along the southern supply corridor. The allied forces established a tight web of ambush positions in the dense, forested terrain near the Phalu and Min Let Pan road network.

As the military transport trucks entered the designated kill zone, resistance fighters initiated the assault with a volley of remotely detonated landmines, followed by concentrated heavy weapons and small-arms fire.

During the initial chaos and subsequent firefight, at least 22 junta soldiers were confirmed killed. Allied forces quickly overran the remnants of the column, capturing a substantial cache of military hardware that included automatic rifles, light machine guns, and several hundred rounds of ammunition. In retaliation, the regime scrambled jet fighters to launch airstrikes on the surrounding ridges, though resistance forces had already successfully withdrawn into the hills.

The deadly ambush comes amid a massive escalation in fighting across southern Myawaddy Township. The military junta, bolstered by allied factions like the breakaway Democratic Karen Benevolent Army (DKBA) and elements of the Border Guard Force (BGF), has launched a multi-front offensive trying to reclaim territorial strongholds lost to the KNLA coalition.

The fierce ground clashes have had a severe impact on the local civilian population. Local humanitarian groups report that hundreds of villagers have fled into nearby camps for internally displaced persons (IDPs) or across the Moei River toward the Thai border to escape indiscriminate junta artillery shelling and drone strikes. Furthermore, family members reported that at least seven local civilians went missing near the flashpoint zones this week, raising acute fears of arbitrary detentions and executions by advancing regime forces.