NAYPYITAW, 09 November 2021, (TON): The rebel group has said “some 271 junta soldiers and allies died last month in clashes in southeastern Myanmar with the armed wing of the Karen National Union (KNU), which suffered just a handful of casualties while defending its territory.”

The KNU clashed with junta-backed forces on 275 occasions throughout October despite the junta’s announcement of a ceasefire from October 1, said Colonel Saw Kler Doh, spokesperson for the KNU’s Brigade 5.

He said “we had to defend our territory according to how serious their attacks were. There were several clashes but we can’t say all of them were very serious. There were multiple clashes taking place in different areas on a given day.”

He added that Myanmar military battalions under the command of southeastern military headquarters were still operating in Brigade 5 territory.

Like newer armed groups across the country, the KNU has been using guerilla-style tactics against the junta to minimise casualties on its side.

The statement added that a large number of the junta soldiers–95–were killed in Mon State’s Thaton, where another 80 were injured, a KNU statement on November 5 said. Ninety three died and 96 were injured in Karen State’s Hpapun district.