The Battle of Kawmoora, also known as the Kawmoora offensive, was the final military offensive launched by the Tatmadaw (Myanmar Armed Forces) to capture the Karen stronghold of Kawmoora. For nearly a decade, the Tatmadaw had been unable to capture Kawmoora through Burmese territory, and instead relied on the permission of Thai authorities to launch artillery from Thai territory at enemy positions inside the stronghold. However, after the Fall of Manerplaw, the Tatmadaw was able to advance more soldiers further south and capture Kawmoora on 21 February 1995 after over two months of fighting. Background The Karen people of Kayin State (also known as Karen State) in eastern Myanmar (also known as Burma) are the third largest ethnic group in Myanmar, consisting of 7% of the country's total population, and have fought for independence and self-determination since 1949. The initial aim of the largest Karen opposition group, the Karen National Union (KNU), was to obtain independence for the Karen people. However, in 1976 they instead began to call for a federal union with fair Karen representation, and the self-determination of the Karen people. Built in 1985, Kawmoora was a Karen stronghold located at a strategic border crossing that controlled minor trade between Myanmar and Thailand. It was surrounded by Thailand and had a narrow strip of land connecting it to the rest of Myanmar, fortified by a long border wall. Merchants paid taxes on goods being transported into Myanmar, but during the late 1980s, trade nearly halted due to constant bombardment from the Tatmadaw (Myanmar Armed Forces). Battle After the Fall of Manerplaw, the Tatmadaw was able to send more of its soldiers to Kawmoora on 19 December 1994; however, Thai authorities refused to allow the Tatmadaw into Thai territory, and thus the only way into Kawmoora was through a narrow wide strip of land connecting it to the rest of Myanmar. This strip of land was dubbed by both sides as "the killing zone", as it became a no man's land littered with corpses of fallen soldiers. Concrete bunkers built by the Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA) guarded the entrance into Kawmoora, which halted infantry offensives by the Tatmadaw. Both sides suffered heavy casualties for over two months before the Tatmadaw was finally able to push into Kawmoora on 21 February 1995. On 21 February 1995, 10,000 soldiers from the Southeastern Command of the Myanmar Army prepared to make