Provisional Government Army Launches All-Out Offensive to Control Thai-Myanmar Border

The provisional government army is launching an all-out offensive, utilizing fighter jets, drones, and heavy artillery to gain control of the border areas in Myawaddy Township, Kayin State, along the Thai-Myanmar border. On the night of July 28 and the morning of July 29, troops under the 22nd Division continuously attacked Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) bases near Minlapan village and the Waw Lay area with MiG-29 fighter jets, dropping high-explosive bombs, including 500-pound bombs, according to sources. During the airstrikes, a 500-pound bomb directly hit and exploded at the Rat Tohmue Pagoda monastery near the Three Junctions, causing the abbot to sustain severe injuries from bomb fragments, military sources reported. Furthermore, as fighting spread near the Moei River on the Myawaddy border, M60 machine gun rounds and heavy artillery shells fired by the provisional government army crossed into Mae Sot district, Thailand. Fragments of these shells hit the homes and fences of Thai residents near the border, forcing Thai nationals to flee to safety. Currently, the Thai army and border patrol police have visited the sites where the shells landed, collected fragments as evidence, and reported to their superiors, it is understood. Heavy artillery fire from the provisional government army on the opposite bank of Myawaddy continued until around 11:10 PM on July 28, and with the military's ground troops advancing and launching an intense offensive, the clashes between both sides remain fierce. Photo caption: The Rat Tohmue Pagoda monastery after being hit by a provisional government army airstrike.