Junta helicopter crashes near Kachin Independence Army headquarters after coming under attack

A Myanmar military helicopter crashed near the command headquarters of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in Laiza, Kachin State, on Wednesday morning after being shot at by the ethnic armed organisation, according to its spokesperson. The aircraft was reportedly not an attack helicopter, but the type used to transport supplies—in this case, to the junta’s tactical base eight miles northeast of Laiza in Waingmaw Township’s Nahpaw village tract, KIA information officer Col Naw Bu said. “We can confirm that the aircraft has crashed and that we fired at it. But we are not clear whether it crashed because it was hit by us, or because of its own mechanical failure,” he explained. “We are assuming that the aircraft came from the Myitkyina air force [base] and it was heading towards Nahpaw in order to send supplies, considering there haven’t been any battles here recently.” Myitkyina is the capital of Kachin State, some 72 miles north of Laiza, which is situated on the Chinese border and has been targeted in repeated junta artillery and aerial assaults, but remains under KIA control. The military council has not released any statement on the incident. Map showing the location of Laiza, on the Kachin-China border Naphaw village tract, where it is believed the targeted helicopter was headed, once served as the site of the KIA’s command centre until the military took control of the area in 1986, forcing the Kachin army to relocate to Laiza. The KIA operates in Kachin and northern Shan states, as well as in townships in northern Sagaing Region that border Kachin State. The military has repeatedly used its air force to bomb civilian populations, send reinforcement troops to clash sites, and to open fire on resistance forces throughout Myanmar. However, even during the intensified battles that have followed the 2021 coup, few aircraft have been taken down by anti-junta armed organisations, which do not possess anti-aircraft weapons systems. The KIA previously managed to shoot down a junta helicopter during clashes in early May 2021 between the villages of Myo Thit and Kone Law in Kachin State’s Momauk Township. Three air force officers were killed, according to a junta statement issued after the incident. The military responded by launching lethal airstrikes on the area.Resistance forces in Karenni State also shot down a junta jet in Hpruso Township in November of last year, capturing the pilot alive. Another military aircraft was similarly taken down in the state’s Bawlakhe Township in July.

Junta helicopter crashes near Kachin Independence Army headquarters after coming under attack

The KIA fired on the aircraft, which was believed to be sending supplies to a nearby military base, but could not confirm whether it went down due to a hit or mechanical failure

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