Tatmadaw completely conquers Mobye in Kayah
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Htet Nadi/Thant Zin (NP News) - July 7
The Tatmadaw has recaptured Mobye town in Kayah State, which was previously controlled by the Karenni Nationalities Defence Force (KNDF) coalition, and it is now almost ready to be handed back to the public, according to local residents who spoke to The Statesman Journal.
The KNDF had controlled Mobye for over a year, but the Tatmadaw launched a renewed offensive last April, and was able to capture it in early July.
A local said that the area is currently being cleared, and people will be able to return to live there soon.
"The local people will return. The town will be handed back to the locals. In Mobye, some people have already started to return, about half of them," a local man said.
The local said that Mobye is located on the Pinlaung-Mobye-Loikaw road and is an important town in terms of trade in Kayah State, so after the Tatmadaw recaptures it, transportation will be much easier.
“Now that the Tatmadaw has been able to recontrol the Pinlaung-Pekon-Mobye-Loikaw road, large trucks will be able to return. The flow of goods will be more convenient. The difficulties that were previously caused by the bad road can be overcome,” he added.
During the Tatmadaw’s renewed offensive on Mobye, the KNDF, Mobye PDF, Pekon PDF, Loikaw PDF, and several other armed groups fought back with internal and external lines, but the PDFs were the only ones in most of the defenses, resulting in hundreds of casualties, according to a local military source.
“They fought back with 17 groups and defended relentlessly. Even though they fought back, they couldn’t withstand the drones and long-range weapons of the Tatmadaw. When they couldn’t resist, they finally withdrew, but it wasn’t an easy withdrawal. They withdrew after paying a price. If they didn’t withdraw, they would die. Many people died. There were many PDFs there. They were in the front line. The ethnic groups couldn’t resist from behind. It is estimated that the number of PDFs died was in the hundreds,” he said.
The KNDF and PDF armed groups launched a military operation in Loikaw and Mobye in Kayah State in November 2023 under the name of Operation 1111, and the Tatmadaw regained control of Loikaw a few months later.