Myanmar Junta Sacks Commander After Heavy Casualties in Karen

Myanmar’s junta has sacked the Karen State commander after his forces suffered heavy casualties in clashes with the Karen National Union (KNU). Lieutenant General Khin Hlaing is the second general to be forced out after Lieutenant General Than Hlaing, the Sagaing Region commander, was dismissed last year. Major General Myat Thet Oo, the southeastern commander overseeing Karen State, was also transferred. The reshuffle suggests junta chief Min Aung Hlaing is unhappy with the heavy regime casualties in Karen State. Recently, the Karen National Liberation Army, the armed wing of the KNU, raided a strategic junta outpost near the Thai border, killing 16 regime troops. Padho Saw Taw, the KNU’s spokesman, told The Irrawaddy that the reshuffle was nothing new or serious for the KNU as it had happened before without tangible results. “Appointing a new commander is what they normally do when they suffer defeats. It won’t have any impact on us.”