The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) claimed on Monday to have captured Chipwe, a town in northern Kachin State controlled by a Border Guard Force (BGF) allied to Myanmar’s military regime.
The KIA and its ally, the Kachin People’s Defence Force (PDF), successfully overran a number of key junta outposts and other positions in and around the town on Sunday, according to KIA spokesperson Colonel Naw Bu.
“We received news that Chipwe was taken yesterday, but we still haven’t captured the nearby tactical hill. We don’t know the situation today,” he said, speaking to Myanmar Now on Monday.
Fighting was also taking place in Tsawlaw, a town about 20 miles north of Chipwe, he added.
Both towns are located east of the N’Mai River, and are part of the Kachin Special Region 1, an area ruled by ageing warlord Zakhung Ting Ying, who in 2009 agreed. . .
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