Battle of Kawmoora

Battle of Kawmoora
Part of the Karen conflict
Date ({{{year}}}-{{{month}}}-{{{day}}}) ({{{year}}}-{{{month}}}-{{{day}}})20 May 1989 – 21 February 1995 (5 years, 9 months and 1 day) Location Kawmoora, Kayin State, Myanmar Result SLORC / DKBA victory
Belligerents
Myanmar (SLORC) DKBA	Karen National Union
Commanders and leaders
Chief of No. (4) Bureau of Special Operations: Lieutenant General Maung Hla [1]	Officer Commanding of No. (7) Brigade: Brigadier Taw Hla [2]
Units involved
Tatmadaw  Myanmar Army Southeastern Command No. (22) Light Infantry Division (1995) No. (33) Light Infantry Division (1989) No. (44) Light Infantry Division (1995) No. (902) Artillery Operation Command	Karen National Liberation Army No. (7) Brigade
Strength
10,000 soldiers 100 artillery	1,000 soldiers
Casualties and losses
400 - 600 killed during 1994/1995 offensives 2000 killed in total [3]

The Battle of Kawmoora (ကော်မူးရာတိုက်ပွဲ) or Battle of Wan Kha Thit (ဝမ်ခသစ်တိုက်ပွဲ)^[4] was a protracted battle between the Tatmadaw (Myanmar Armed Forces) and the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA). Before 1994, the Tatmadaw was unable to capture the KNLA stronghold of Kawmoora due to the stronghold's robust fortifications and narrow access from Tatmadaw-held territory. The Tatmadaw instead fired artillery at enemy positions from Thai territory, with the permission of the Thai government.^[5] However, the Fall of Manerplaw on 27 January 1995 allowed the Tatmadaw to advance southward and capture Kawmoora on 21 February.^[6][7]