KNU: Military Council’s Upper Hand Slipping Away
By Network Media Group
Wednesday, August 23, 2023
Burma’s oldest ethnic armed group, the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), has stated that the regime has been weakened during the war against the resistance forces, no longer able to launch offensives or refresh its troops.
“Assessing the situation from a military point of view, the Military Council can only maintain a defensive line. Strategically, they cannot launch a tactical operation. Instead, they rely on firing (long-distance) heavy weapons and using their air force to attack resistance groups,” explains Brigadier General Saw Tamala Thaw of the KNLA G1.
Since 2019, the Burma army has been unable to replace its soldiers on the front line, where troop rotation used to occur every year.
“They don’t have enough soldiers to conduct military operations, resulting in a decline in their movement and quality. They have to airlift food rations to their important military bases and use jet fighters and combat helicopters to protect them.”
The KNLA has stated that the Burma army’s front-line positions are weak, and their camps near towns are often threatened by resistance groups, compelling them to use backhoes to dig trenches around them for protection.
