Drone strike kills five KNDF members in Karenni State as regime reconnaissance escalates

Five members of the Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF) were killed on Thursday when regime forces launched an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) attack on a security post near Moso village in Hpruso Township. Hpruso is located 21 miles (33 km) south of the Karenni State capital, Loikaw. The strike highlights the military’s growing reliance on suicide drones and high-precision UAVs to target opposition infrastructure across resistance-controlled sectors of southern Shan and Karenni states. Resistance forces in Karenni State issued public safety advisories on Sept. 16 warning residents of heightened air and drone strike risks. Regime forces have conducted continuous aerial reconnaissance and precision UAV operations targeting towns under Karenni governance since early September. The Hpruso strike follows a separate UAV incident on Sept. 14 in southern Shan’s Moebye, where two KNDF fighters were killed during clashes with pro-regime troops. Moebye is located 100 miles (160 km) south of the Shan State capital Taunggyi, 12 miles (17 km) northwest of Loikaw, and 33 miles (53 km) north of Hpruso. With the latest casualties in Hpruso, at least 12 civilians—including several children—and seven KNDF resistance fighters have been killed across Karenni resistance-controlled territory by regime airstrikes and UAV bombardments since Sept. 1.