Shwe Kokko offensive
Failed offensive in the Myanmar Civil War
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The Shwe Kokko Offensive was a failed offensive by Karen EAOs and the People's Defense Force (including rogue elements of the KNU/KNLA Peace Council and Kawthoolei Army splinter group) on the city of Shwe Kokko.[6]
| Shwe Kokko Offensive | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Myanmar civil war (2021–present) and the Myanmar conflict | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
|
|
 Karen National Liberation Army Brigade 7 (disputed)[1] | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 Nerdah Myah Saw Lat Kai and Saw Kyaw Kayaw[4] |
 Min Aung Hlaing Saw Chit Thu | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| Unknown | Unknown | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| At least 24 killed[1] | At least 80 killed[5] | ||||||
| At least 10,000 refugees[1] | |||||||
Background
Shwe Kokko, a town in the Thai border area of Myawaddy District, serves as the headquarters of Saw Chit Thu's Karen BGF.[7][8]
Over time, it gained notoriety as a gambling hotspot for Chinese tourists, a scam center, and a destination for human trafficking.[9][10][11]
Kawthoolei Army
On 17 July 2022, ousted KNDO commander-in-chief, Nerdah Myah, formed the Kawthoolei Army to fight the Myanmar SAC junta independently.[12] According to Karen media, he formed the group after allegedly obstructing an investigation related to a massacre of 25 unarmed civilians.[13]
Offensive
In spite of animosity, KNLA Brigade 5, the Kawthoolei Army, a rogue faction of the KNU/KNLA Peace Council, and the People's Defense Force jointly launched attacks on Myanmar Army and BGF positions near Shwe Kokko.[14] Initially, the attacks went somewhat smoothly, resulting in the capture of at least five BGF outposts.[15]
However, starting in April 8th, the offensive began to falter as Myanmar Army Mi-35 helicopters started to bomb anti-junta positions.[2]
Aftermath
By April 11th, the BGF fully regained control of Shwe Kokko. At least 10,000 civilians of various nationalities fled to Thailand.[1] Allegedly, some KNLA commanders (such as the leader of Brigade 7) aided the BGF in exchange for profits from another Myawaddy fraud factory, KK Park.[1] Although Brigade 7 denied this charge, it announced that KTLA forces are forbidden from moving within their operational area.[1]
While Shwe Kokko did not face another attack, the Three Brotherhood Alliance and other anti-junta forces successfully crippled scam operations in the Kokang Region as part of Operation 1027 six months later.[16]