The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and an allied resistance group say they captured a key base in Kachin State’s Hpakant Township on Wednesday after two weeks of fighting.
The base, located in Sezin, a village about 40 miles southwest of the town of Hpakant, had been the target of attacks by the KIA and its ally, the Kachin Region People’s Defence Force (PDF), since April 9, a member of the Kachin PDF told Myanmar Now.
After capturing the village’s police station on the first day of fighting following the surrender of 23 police officers, the two groups continued to mount assaults on junta troops stationed in a village monastery and on a nearby hill.
As the clashes intensified, the regime carried out multiple airstrikes on April 20 and 21, according to the Kachin PDF fighter.
Two days later, a major battle broke out that lasted until all. . .