Than Lwin Times / BNI Online | February 26, 2018

A skirmish broke out between soldiers from the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), of the Karen National Union (KNU) and the New Mon State Party (NMSP) over the weekend,near Man-aung Village, Ye Township, Mon State.

Officials from both armed organizations confirmed that the skirmish broke out between the KNLA’s 16th Battalion under Brigade 6 and the NMSP troops at around 1 PM, on Saturday (February 24).

“The NMSP sniped at us while we were eating our meal. When we fired back at them in response, one

[of our soldiers] ran back after running out of ammunition.  The rest of the three soldiers are missing. We don’t know whether they are dead or alive,” Captain Saw Bo Bo Tun, company captain of the KNLA’s 16th Battalion, told KIC News on Saturday.

On condition of anonymity, a source close to the KNU told the Thanlwin Times that one KNU soldier has been detained and two arms have been seized by the NMSP.

The KNLA official believes the skirmish was caused by logging issue after the NMSP arrested 32 loggers in the east of Man-aung Village and handed them over to the KNU Win-Yay Township last month.

A resident of Man-aung village told the Thanlwin Times that no one has been injured in the short skirmish but the KNU lost two arms.

“The clash broke out in Man-aung village. I don’t think anyone has been injured. There was an illegal logging issue in the past. [The clash] took place due to the continuation of illegal logging,” Nai Win Hla, head of the NMSP’s internal affairs department, told KIC News.

Both KNU and NMSP have signed the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA). The NMSP inked the NCA recently, while KNU has been a NCA signatory since the NCA was initally signed in October 2015. Both armed organizations have overlapping territories due to regional situation.

After the two armed organizations clashed in Payathonzu (Three Pagodas Pass area) in 1988, they resumed the fighting by engaging in four skirmishes in September, 2016.

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This article originally appeared on BNI Online on February 26, 2018.

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