KIA captures key junta bases near the jade-mining centre of Hpakant

Anti-regime forces led by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) say they captured two hilltop bases near the jade-mining town of Hpakant in Kachin State on Thursday. The La Mawng base, located about seven miles west of Hpakant, and the Taw Hmaw base, located about 12 miles to the north, fell after more than a full day of intense clashes, according to KIA spokesperson Colonel Naw Bu. “We took full control of the La Mawng base at about 9:15am today,” he told Myanmar Now on Thursday, later confirming that the Taw Maw base was captured at around 4pm the same day. The KIA spokesperson said the group and its ally, the Kachin People’s Defence Force, began attacking both bases at around 2:30am on Wednesday. The military responded with airstrikes and heavy artillery fire from the nearby Hseng Taung hilltop base, which is still under its control, he said. A shell that fell in the nearby village of Hseng Taung injured four people at a local café, according to a man who lives in the area. “The shell landed on the Naing Café, injuring two men and two women. But there is still no fighting in Hseng Taung,” said the man. According to Naw Bu, the La Mawng base is especially important because it serves as the main garrison responsible for the security of Hpakant. Mana, a village located about two miles from the La Mawng base, was also hit by artillery fire early Thursday, and there were airstrikes in the area at around noon, according to residents. “The entire village has fled due to the military tensions,” said a local man, adding that a column of around 100 junta troops had been seen advancing towards Mana on Thursday. Earlier this year, the KIA and its allies captured a number of key bases along the main road into Hpakant, leaving only a few still under regime control. Fighting in Kachin State stalled at the start of the monsoon season in May, but resumed last month in Momauk Township, where clashes with the regime’s Light Infantry Battalion 437 and airstrikes have been reported in recent days. Momauk is located about 220 miles southeast of Hpakant, and about 50 miles south of the KIA stronghold of Laiza, on the Myanmar-China border. Laiza has also been targeted by junta airstrikes, most recently on Thursday, when Chinese authorities reportedly fired warning flares as two bombs were dropped on the town. The KIA has overrun scores of military outposts since the start of its offensive in March. It has also captured a number of towns, including Sumprabum, Injangyang, Sadung, Sinbo, Myo Hla, and Lwegel in Kachin State and Mabein in northern Shan State’s Kutkai Township.

KIA captures key junta bases near the jade-mining centre of Hpakant

The two hilltop bases fell on Thursday after more than a day of intense clashes

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