Myanmar junta launches airstrikes, artillery attacks on KIA bases

The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) says that two of its bases in Kachin State’s Waingmaw Township have been coming under continuous attack from regime forces since the end of last week.

According to KIA information officer Col Naw Bu, the attacks have triggered fighting in the area, which is located east of the state capital Myitkyina.

“We’ve had a few clashes with the junta recently. Now they’re launching airstrikes in the evenings,” he said.

The attacks began at around 5pm on Sunday, when Infantry Battalion (IB) 58, based in the town of Waingmaw, started shelling frontline KIA bases near Nang Zaw Yang, a village about 10km to the east, according to Naw Bu.

This was followed a day later with a ground-force attack on the bases by regime soldiers and members of an allied Lisu militia, resulting in a major clash, he said.

He added that the bases in question are just temporary ones set up in territory controlled by Battalion 4 of the KIA’s Brigade 5.

“They’re not command bases. We’re just using them for guerrilla warfare against the junta,” he told Myanmar Now.

The fighting had still not stopped as of 2pm of Tuesday, he said, with the military continuing to pound the bases with heavy artillery while also mounting a ground assault.

He added that KIA casualty figures were still not available. While losses on the regime side were also not known, they were presumed to be high.

“Judging from the fact that they are using airstrikes and heavy artillery against us almost non-stop, we can assume that they have suffered a significant number of casualties,” said Naw Bu.

A source in Waingmaw confirmed that IB 58 has been firing heavy artillery since Sunday. He said that the situation remained normal in the town, but residents were on high alert.

Tensions have been high in Waingmaw since a KIA officer was captured and killed by a local militia in the township last month.

The KIA is one of several ethnic armed organisations (EAOs) in Myanmar that have condemned last year’s ouster of the country’s civilian government.

General N’Ban La, the chair of its political wing, the Kachin Independence Organisation, has called for cooperation with resistance forces seeking to end military rule.

Other EAOs that have joined forces with newly formed anti-regime groups include the Karen National Union, the Chin National Front, and the Karenni Army.