KNU Seizes Key Junta Base on Thai Border in Major Blow to Regime

KNU

In a significant battlefield victory, the Karen National Union (KNU) and allied resistance forces have captured the Myanmar junta’s last remaining base in Hteekhee, a key trade hub on the Thai border, delivering a sharp blow to the military regime.

The base, located in Dawei Township, Tanintharyi Region, fell early Friday after a week-long assault involving drone strikes and heavy mortars. The seizure comes as top junta officials attended Russia’s Victory Day parade in Moscow—an ironic backdrop to one of the regime’s most symbolic defeats.

“This is a strategic win,” said Saw Ehna Doh, the KNU’s Myeik District secretary. “Hteekhee connects to the Dawei deep-sea port, a project handed over to Russia. The base was vital to securing that trade route.” Its loss, he added, threatens the regime’s economic and logistical grip on the region.

The Karen National Liberation Army and the Karen National Defense Organization led the operation, backed by the Force for Federal Democracy (FFD). Around 150 junta soldiers were stationed at the base, with four military helicopters later used to send reinforcements and supplies. Despite electronic jamming, resistance forces claimed success using drones and artillery.

Part of the base reportedly straddles the Thai border, complicating the offensive and raising regional sensitivities. But this didn’t prevent resistance fighters from pressing their advance—destroying junta artillery and taking control of the area.

The fall of Hteekhee follows the April capture of nearby Hteehta base, where 30 troops, including a strategic commander, were taken. At the time, junta regional commander Brigadier General Kyaw Kyaw Han vowed to annihilate KNU Brigade 4. That promise now lies in ruins.

Separately, the KNU said it seized another junta outpost in Hpa-an District, Karen State, on the same morning, suggesting a coordinated push across the region.

Since the 2021 military coup, the KNU—Myanmar’s oldest revolutionary movement—has emerged as a central pillar of the armed resistance. It has trained thousands of anti-regime fighters and continues to coordinate with the civilian National Unity Government.

With the resistance gaining ground and junta forces stretched thin, Myanmar’s civil war may be entering a new and decisive phase.