October 5, 2007 – The ethnic Karenni armed rebel group said it attacked two Burmese Army battalions based near the Kayah State early on Thursday morning and seized arms and ammunitions after killing three Burmese soldiers.

The Karenni National Progressive Party, an armed ethnic rebel group, said its cadres attacked the Burmese Army’s Light Infantry Battalion (54), based about three kilometers south of Kayah State’s capital Loikaw.

The KNPP said it found three bodies of Burmese soldiers and seized arms and ammunition. The group also added that it encountered the Burmese Army’s LIB (337) based in Pharuso township in Kayah State.

“The KNPP cadres found three bodies of Burmese soldiers and 4 MA and 1 PA type rifles along with a few rounds of ammunition,” the KNPP secretary, Khu Oo Reh told Mizzima.

The Burmese Army, so far, has made no statement about the clash.

The KNPP secretary said that while the rebel group attacked with about 40 soldiers, it did not lose any. He said, LIB (54), (102) and other artillery battalions.

While another encounter between the KNPP cadres and the LIB (337) took place on Thursday about 8 a.m. (local time), Khu Oo Reh said detailed information of the encounter has not reached him.

Military Alliance, an alliance of ethnic armed rebel groups based along the borders of Burma, earlier this month declared increasing military operations against the Burmese junta as a support to the peoples’ movement inside Burma.

The Military Alliance (MA) has been formed with ethnic armed rebel groups including the KNPP, Karen National Union, Kachin, Chin, Arakan and Shan State Army (south).