The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and allied forces have intensified their offensive against Myanmar’s military in the southern Kachin State city of Bhamo, engaging in fierce clashes since the beginning of the week.
Bhamo, a key junta stronghold situated near the Chinese border, has seen heavy fighting in recent weeks. KIA-led forces have been conducting an offensive for nearly a month to capture the city
“Today [December 31], the fighting is very intense, with airstrikes occurring,” a KIA member told Myanmar Now. “Fires started in the morning that haven’t been extinguished yet. And the junta troops have deployed many drones near MOC-21 and are still patrolling with their armoured vehicles.”
MOC-21 refers to the Military Operations Commands 21 headquarters in Bhamo, which the regime has used its full force to defend.
According to the KIA source, there are junta snipers in high-rise buildings across the city, while infantry troops are also maintaining positions in some areas. Despite the heavy military presence, a number of regime troops have reportedly been wounded.
Clashes are ongoing at the Infantry Battalion 47 base south of Bhamo, near Bhamo University, and at MOC-21, according to a member of the Bhamo Scout Team, a group that has been monitoring the conflict in the region.
Bhamo serves as a key military stronghold, hosting multiple battalions, including Infantry Battalions 236 and 47, Artillery Units 336 and 304, and Tank Unit 5014.
KIA spokesperson Col Naw Bu confirmed that the fighting has escalated.
Reports indicate that the KIA has seized several junta army bases, including Momauk-based Light Infantry Battalions 319 and 601 and Artillery Unit 523, located about 13 miles south of Bhamo, though these claims remain unverified.
The KIA has been fighting since early December for control of Bhamo and Momauk, a town less than 10 miles to the east, resulting in heavy clashes that have led to an unknown number of civilian casualties.
Earlier this week, the junta launched repeated artillery strikes, with some shells landing inside Theintawgyi Monastery where many civilians were sheltering. The blasts killed two men and one woman, according to an official from Zero Sukha, a social welfare group based in Bhamo.
The Zero Sukha representative added that the same monastery was also hit by another artillery shell on December 24, injuring at least seven local civilians.
“When we arrived on December 28, our car carried seven patients from the monastery who were hit by artillery shells,” the representative said. “Looking at the situation now, even the monastery is no longer safe.”
Since last March, when it launched a new offensive against the regime, the KIA has captured several key towns in Kachin State. Earlier in the year, it seized Mabein in northern Shan State.
Meanwhile, the battle for control of Bhamo has forced many residents to flee, with groups such as Zero Sukha assisting with transportation to Mandalay and other areas.
“There’s only one road out, and one water route,” the Zero Sukha representative said, adding that he was unsure how many were still trying to get out of the city.
“People are still evacuating, and the number must be high.”
