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]
Overtime, 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]
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Karen National Liberation Army Brigade 7 (disputed) [1] 
Nerdah Myah 
Min Aung Hlaing 
