Myanmar soldiers retreat to Thai border bridge as anti-junta forces declare control over border town of Myawaddy

Naypyidaw [Myanmar], April 11 (ANI): Around 200 Myanmar soldiers have withdrawn to the so-called Friendship bridge connecting the border town of Myawaddy to Thailand amid a relentless assault by anti-junta resistance forces, reported Al Jazeera.

The generals that overthrew the government in a coup in February 2021 and then started an armed insurrection after using force to quell nonviolent anti-coup demonstrations are under increasing strain, as evidenced by their retreat.

The ethnic armed group directing the offensive on Myawaddy, the Karen National Union (KNU), in a statement on Facebook said that its fighters had routed the town’s lone major military force, the 275 battalion, early on Thursday morning, reported Al Jazeera.

Additionally, it released images of weaponry that it claimed to have taken after the soldiers left.

A KNU spokesperson, Saw Taw Nee, stated that the soldiers–roughly 200 of them–had withdrew to the bridge, while Khit Thit, a news source in Myanmar, claimed that Thai officials were involved, according to Al Jazeera.

As per the Myanmar Commerce Ministry, Myawaddy is a strategically important town just across the border from Thailand’s Mae Sot, and more than USD 1 billion in trade passed through the crossing in the 12 months to April.

The generals, notably have been under surge in pressure since an October offensive by a powerful alliance of ethnic armed groups reinvigorated the opposition and led to large clashes across the country. Moreover, the military has lost control of hundreds of military posts and several towns in border areas.

On Wednesday, hundreds of people were observed queuing up to enter Thailand. The civil society group, Karen Peace Support Network reported that the most recent upsurge in conflict has resulted in at least 2,000 internal displacements within Myanmar, as per Al Jazeera.

Around 600 troops from Myanmar and their families left Myawaddy over the weekend, according to rumors that the military had asked Thailand to let them enter the nation so they could take flights to safety.