Myanmar Troops Clash with Karen, Thai Home Damaged

2026-01-26 - 04:39

MAE SOT — 26 January 2026, heavy fighting erupted between Myanmar’s military forces and the Karen National Union (KNU) troops near the border with Thailand, causing minor damage to a Thai civilian home. The confrontation took place at Min La Pan village, located opposite Mae Gon Ken and Huay Mahawang villages in Mae Sot district, Tak province. Myanmar’s military, led by the 22nd Light Infantry Division, employed drones, including both bomb-dropping UAVs and suicide “kamikaze” drones, to target KNU positions in the area. The strikes hit regions around the Tinu Khor stream, Phalu cemetery, and the Golden Pagoda intersection, near the Myanmar border town of Myawaddy in Karen State. The drone assaults targeted KNU’s strongholds, situated about 1 kilometre from the Thai border in Huay Mahawang village, part of the operational zone of anti-government forces. Casualties on either side remain unclear. The Myanmar military had attempted to seize a forest base at Min La Pan, but was repelled after heavy exchanges of small-arms fire. The firefight resulted in stray bullets hitting a Thai civilian house, causing slight damage. No injuries were reported among Thai residents. The ongoing clashes highlight the growing tensions along the Myanmar-Thailand border, as Myanmar’s military intensifies its operations against ethnic armed groups in Karen State.