Over 10,000 SAC Soldiers Killed by KNU Since Coup
By Network Media Group
Thursday, November 30, 2023
Karen National Union (KNU), Burma’s oldest armed group, reported that its soldiers killed 10,741 members of State Administration Council (SAC) during 11,608 clashes between February 2021 and September 2023.
Padoh Saw Taw Nee, a member of KNU’s central executive committee and head of its foreign affairs department, shared this information during a recent public speech. He also disclosed that 7,779 SAC troops were wounded in the fighting. Combining the deaths and injuries, the Karen leader stated that these 18,520 casualties equate to many battalions.
“This number is significantly high and has frustrated the military council.” Explaining the current military structure, he noted that SAC should have 10 Light Infantry Divisions (LID) battalions, each with 10,000 soldiers. However, in reality, there are only about 3,000 soldiers in every LID. Of these, only about 700 are available to go to the front line.
“If we calculate 700 Burma army soldiers for an LID, the number of deceased soldiers, 18,520, is equivalent to 26 LIDs—it’s a substantial loss for them,” he said.
KNU emphasized that the Burma army faces challenges in sending reinforcement troops to northern Burma, where clashes with ethnic armed organisations persist. Simultaneously, SAC encounters difficulties in recruiting necessary soldiers for Burma army. Since the military coup, the regime has engaged in multiple clashes with various resistance groups nationwide, resulting in significant casualties and the seizure of numerous military camps by resistance forces.
