Rebel group seizes military outpost in Myanmar

Bangkok (dpa) - Rebel fighters of the Karen ethnic minority have attacked an outpost of the Myanmar military near the border with Thailand, a spokesperson of the Karen National Union (KNU) rebel group told dpa on Tuesday.  
“The military members ran away and we don’t know about casualties. But we captured the base,” Padoh Saw Taw Nee, head of foreign affairs at the KNU, told dpa.  

According to a report by The Irrawaddy newspaper, eyewitnesses saw seven soldiers fleeing into the jungle.  
The outpost was reportedly burned down with videos on social media showing flames and smoke rising near the eastern border post Thaw Le Hta, where the river Salween separates Myanmar from Thailand.  

After the coup on February 1, the military has repeatedly launched airstrikes on areas with ethnic minorities, including the Karen.  

 Thousands of people have already fled to Thailand amid the military’s violent crackdown on the protests.