Watching them advance on the position from the direction of the forest is terrifying. This footage comes from a helmet-mounted camera worn by a soldier of the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) during an assault on and seizure of a military junta outpost/checkpoint in the Tanintharyi Region of southern Myanmar. According to news reports, 10 junta soldiers were killed in the engagement, while no casualties have been reported on the Karen side. I think this might be the first time I’ve ever seen a rifle grenade fired in actual combat.
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Repeated battles over KNLA positions along the eastern border
The Tanintharyi Region, featured in this footage, serves as one of the front lines where the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA)—Myanmar’s oldest ethnic armed organization—has confronted the national military. Established in 1949 as the armed wing of the Karen National Union (KNU), the KNLA saw its troop strength decline from approximately 20,000 in the 1980s to about 3,000 by 2001. However, following the 2021 coup, its numbers are estimated to have rebounded to around 15,000, bolstered by alliances with emerging forces such as the People’s Defence Force (PDF). The group’s area of operations spans Kayin and Kayah States, the Tanintharyi Region, Mon State, and the Thai borderlands; this configuration—characterized by a persistent front line against the military regime across the entire eastern border region—has frequently led to attacks on military positions, such as the one shown here.
Indeed, in April 2024, a battle in the Myeik District of the Tanintharyi Region resulted in the surrender of 48 regime soldiers. In February 2025, the “Me Pa Li” base in the Bilin Township of Mon State was captured following a month-long struggle, and in March 2026, the “Win Wa” base in the Thayetchaung Township of the Tanintharyi Region also fell. These incidents share a common pattern: the military positions were overrun only after prolonged sieges and wars of attrition.
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