KNU/PDF joint forces launch offensive against Ukrit Hta camp, vital to Myanmar military
The military situation is tense as the KNU/PDF joint forces are launching an offensive against the Ukrayit (border checkpoint) in the Walley area of the Karen side of the Thai-Myanmar border.
The Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) and the PDF – People’s Defense Forces, which are affiliated with the Karen National Union (KNU), have been conducting an offensive since the second week of June. “We are preparing for a battle to capture the camp,” the source said.
The KNLA and its joint forces are currently launching another offensive against the Ukrayit camp, which was previously attacked by the KNLA and its joint forces in 2022. During the last offensive, the KNU managed to capture some of the camps in the Walley area of the Karen National Union (KNU)’s 6th Brigade, but the Ukrayit camp was withdrawn after the military put up heavy air defenses to prevent the army from relinquishing it.
The KNLA and allied forces have been continuing their offensive against the KNU’s border posts in Brigade 7 and Brigade 6 after capturing them.
It is believed that the military council is using all its resources to defend the area, as it is crucial to the supply route for the Ward 11 strategy.
The Ukrit Hta camp is on the main road connecting the Lay Kaew and Ward 12 regions. If the camp is lost, the military council will be unable to use the land route to transport supplies and ammunition to the Ward 11 region, a military source said.
The camp has a small helicopter pad and a long trench line, according to aerial video footage from the Cobra Command in 2022. The ward had not yet released any information about the camps on the Thai-Myanmar border as of the morning of June 12.
