TAK — The Royal Thai Air Force deployed two F-16 Fighting Falcon jets to patrol airspace over Phop Phra district on 29 April, after intense fighting between Myanmar military forces and Karen armed groups escalated just across the border.
At around 16:00, combined forces of the Karen National Union (KNU) and allied resistance fighters launched coordinated attacks on a Myanmar military base in Myawaddy, Karen State, opposite Thailand’s Tak province. Drones were used to drop explosives on the base in multiple waves, while ground forces also carried out sustained assaults, sending smoke rising over the area.
The Myanmar military responded with air support from the Myanmar Air Force, conducting airstrikes on positions held by Karen resistance forces. Heavy explosions were reported on both sides of the border as fighting intensified.
In response to the escalating situation, Thai authorities scrambled two F-16 fighter jets to patrol and secure Thai airspace along the border in Phop Phra district.
The fighting comes after a 20 April incident in which a Myanmar airstrike near a KNU hospital close to the border in Mae Hong Son reportedly saw at least one bomb land inside Thailand, near the Salween River in Mae Sam Laep area, prompting panic among villagers.
