Karen National Liberation Army

Karen National Liberation Army
Karen National Liberation Army
	Flag of the Karen National Liberation Army
Leaders	GOC Saw Johnny; Lt Gen Saw Baw Kyaw Heh
Dates of operation	1949 – present
Headquarters	Lay Wah; Manerplaw (until 1995)
Active regions	Kayah State; Kayin State; Tanintharyi Region; Bago Region; Mon State; Myanmar-Thailand border
Ideology	Karen nationalism; Self-determination; Federalism
Part of	Karen National Union
Allies	4K Coalition Karenni Army; Karenni National People's Liberation Front; Karenni Nationalities Defence Force; Other Allies; Karen National Defence Organisation; All Burma Students' Democratic Front; Arakan Army; Bamar People's Liberation Army; DKBA-5; Kachin Independence Army; New Mon State Party (Anti-Military Dictatorship); People's Defence Force; People's Revolution Alliance (Magway);
Opponents	State opponents Myanmar Tatmadaw; Border Guard Forces; Myanmar Police Force; Pyusawhti militias; ; Union of Myanmar (1988–2011); Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma (1962–1988); Union of Burma (1949–1962); Non-state opponents Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (1994–2010); Mon National Liberation Army (2016–2019);
Battles and wars	Internal conflict in Myanmar Karen conflict Battle of Insein; Maw Pokay incident; Fall of Manerplaw; Battle of Kawmoora; 2010–2012 Myanmar border clashes; ; Myanmar civil war (2021–present) Battle of Loikaw (2021); Pekon clashes; Battle of Lay Kay Kaw; Battle of Kawkareik; Battle of Mese; Siege of Myawaddy; ; Thaw Le Hta offensive Battle of Theemuhta; Mae Kha Ta offensive; Operation Aung Zeya; ;

The Karen National Liberation Army (Burmese: ကရင်အမျိုးသား လွတ်မြောက်ရေးတပ်မတော်; abbreviated KNLA) is the military branch of the Karen National Union (KNU), which campaigns for the self-determination of the Karen people of Myanmar (formerly Burma). The KNLA has been fighting the Burmese government since 1960s as part of the Karen conflict, which has been ongoing since 1949.

The KNLA was reported to have had a strength of approximately 10,000 in 1970, 20,000 in 1980, 3,000 in 2001, 5,000 in 2006, 6,000 in 2012, and 7,000 in 2014. As of early 2021, the KNLA is estimated to have around 15,000 troops. The army is divided into seven brigades and a 'Special Force' reserved for special operations.

Karen National Liberation Army
Flag of the Karen National Liberation Army
Leaders	GOC Saw Johnny Lt Gen Saw Baw Kyaw Heh
Dates of operation	1949 – present
Headquarters	Lay Wah Manerplaw (until 1995)
Active regions	Kayah State Kayin State Tanintharyi Region Bago Region Mon State Myanmar-Thailand border
Ideology	Karen nationalism Self-determination Federalism
Part of	Karen National Union
Allies	4K Coalition Karenni Army Karenni National People's Liberation Front Karenni Nationalities Defence Force Other Allies Karen National Defence Organisation All Burma Students' Democratic Front Arakan Army Bamar People's Liberation Army DKBA-5 Kachin Independence Army New Mon State Party (Anti-Military Dictatorship) People's Defence Force People's Revolution Alliance (Magway)
Opponents	State opponents Myanmar Tatmadaw Border Guard Forces Myanmar Police Force Pyusawhti militias Union of Myanmar (1988–2011) Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma (1962–1988) Union of Burma (1949–1962) Non-state opponents Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (1994–2010) Mon National Liberation Army (2016–2019)
Battles and wars	Internal conflict in Myanmar Karen conflict Battle of Insein Maw Pokay incident Fall of Manerplaw Battle of Kawmoora 2010–2012 Myanmar border clashes Myanmar civil war (2021–present) Battle of Loikaw (2021) Pekon clashes Battle of Lay Kay Kaw Battle of Kawkareik Battle of Mese Siege of Myawaddy Thaw Le Hta offensive Battle of Theemuhta Mae Kha Ta offensive Operation Aung Zeya