Myanmar Military Clashes with Karen Armed Group, 2 Civilians Wounded
Fighting broke out Thursday between the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) Brigade No. 5 and the Myanmar army in Papun District, Karen State. The ethnic armed group reported that two civilians were wounded. “They came into our controlled area and confronted our local troops. That is how the fighting broke out,” Colonel Saw Kler Doh from KNLA Brigade No. 5 told The Irrawaddy on Friday. He said that KNLA troops withdrew after the fighting but that the Myanmar army remained in the area in Kamanaung, a sub-township in Papun District. Col. Saw Kler Doh also said that two Karen civilians who entered the area after the fighting were shot and wounded by the Myanmar army. The fighting lasted half an hour. KNLA ground forces reported no casualties but Col. Saw Kler Doh said that one member of the Myanmar military was killed. Myanmar military spokesperson Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun confirmed that fighting broke out between the Myanmar army and KNLA Brigade No. 5. “Troops on th