Kawthoolei Army

Not to be confused with the Kawthoolei Armed Forces.

The Kawthoolei Army^[3][1] (Burmese: ကော်သူးလေ တပ်မတော်; abbr. KTLA) is a militant and separatist group in Myanmar, split from Karen National Union.^[4] The formation of the new militia was announced on July 19, 2022.^[5] General Saw Nerdah Bomya, former head of the Karen National Defence Organisation (KNDO), had been removed from his KNDO position after allegations that his KNDO troops killed 25 suspected Burmese military spies in southern Karen State.^[6]

Kawthoolei Army
ကော်သူးလေတပ်မတော်
Leader	General Saw Nerdah Mya[1] - General Officer Commanding (GOC.) Lieutenant General Saw Hsar Gay Po - Vice Chief of Staff (VCS.)
Dates of operation	16 July 2022 (2022-07-16) – present
Active regions	Kayin State Mon State Tanintharyi Region Myanmar-Thailand border
Ideology	Karen nationalism Right of Self-determination Independence
Size	200+
Allies	All organization which fight against the Burmese Army- no specific agreement regarding politics. People's Defense Force People's Liberation Army
Opponents	Myanmar (SAC) Tatmadaw  Myanmar Army Southeastern Command Coastal Region Command Border Guard Forces Myanmar Police Force Pyusawhti militias
Battles and wars	Internal conflict in Myanmar Myanmar civil war (2021–present) Shwe Kokko Offensive[2]
Flag

In April 2023, the KTLA launched an offensive against the Kayin State BGF in Shwe Kokko, forcing over 10,000 people to flee into Thailand.^[7] On 21 May, the KTLA, alongside other anti-junta forces, launched offensives against the Tatmadaw's "Plato" and Maw Khee camps, south of Myawaddy.^[8]

The KTLA is reportedly associated with an Italian neo-fascist group Casa Pound through the group "Popoli Onlus Solidarity Community".^[9]

According to the Bangkok Post, the KTLA claims to control a 40km-long pipeline owned by PTT Exploration and Production that transports gas from Myanmar into Thailand's Kanchanaburi Province. The KTLA is reportedly considering either shutting down or destroying the pipeline.^[10]