Junta troops that had been deployed in Winkan and Khaywea village tracts near Thein Za Yat in Kyaikto Township have withdrawn and returned to Thein Za Yat in early March.
According to local sources, a military column of roughly 300 troops entered the Winkan and Khaywea areas from Thein Za Yat in early February, triggering intense clashes with joint resistance forces operating in the area.
During the fighting, junta troops reportedly fired mortar shells and launched drone attacks into villages, causing resistance forces to retreat.
Following the clashes, junta troops set up positions in villages within the two village tracts and ransacked and burned houses belonging to displaced residents.
In early March, the junta column withdrew from the villages. On March 4th, a vehicle carrying senior junta officers traveling from Khaywea Village toward Thein Za Yat struck a landmine near Kyaukyaetwin Village, according to an information officer from a resistance unit operating in Kyaikto Township.
The vehicle was reportedly carrying a tactical commander from Light Infantry Battalion 547 and two sergeants from Military Operations Command No. 12, along with other senior personnel. The resistance group said the attack caused casualties.
“They had been deploying troops in those villages since February. Now all their columns have been withdrawn back to Thein Za Yat. On March 4th, we carried out a landmine attack on a vehicle carrying their senior officers. There were casualties,” the information officer said, adding that further details would be released later.
Following the withdrawal of junta forces, some displaced villagers have begun returning to their homes, although many remain hesitant to do so.
According to a volunteer assisting displaced people in Kyaikto Township, “most displaced residents are still afraid to return. Many are staying with relatives and are waiting to see how the security situation develops because they fear fighting could break out again.”
Clashes that occurred in early February in Winkan and Khaywea village tracts forced residents from at least ten villages, including Winkan, Khaywea, Sit Kwin Village, Mokekhamawt Village and Kyaukyaetwin, to flee their homes.
According to a statement from the Karen National Union (KNU), 2,939 households, totaling about 12,930 people, were displaced by the fighting.
Volunteers assisting displaced people said those affected are in urgent need of shelter, food, and medical supplies.
Winkan and Khaywea village tracts are considered areas with strong resistance activity. As a result, junta forces frequently conduct military operations in the area, including artillery shelling and occasional airstrikes.
