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Myanmar military, KIA clash near Myitkyina-Bhamo road

The latest fighting comes as the military intensifies its efforts to gain control of a strategically important village near the KIA stronghold of Laiza

Regime forces continued their push for control of a key village near the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) stronghold of Laiza this week, with heavy fighting reported along the Myitkyina-Bhamo road.

According to KIA information officer Col. Naw Bu, clashes broke out on Monday as junta troops approached Da Bak Yang, a village located just west of the road some 30km north of the village of Nam San Yang.

The military has massively increased its presence near Nam Sang Yang, which is just 20km from Laiza, since early July.

“There were battles between the villages of Da Bak Yang and Jar Pu, and today there is an ongoing exchange of heavy artillery fire,” said Col. Naw Bu, speaking to Myanmar Now on Tuesday.

“They [junta troops] are still in the forest between the two villages, and haven’t been able to reach Jar Pu,” he added.

The regime soldiers involved in the fighting reportedly belong to a column of around 100 troops that arrived in the area recently from the Kachin State capital Myitkyina.

A Nam Sang Yang resident told Myanmar Now that Monday’s clashes, which could be heard several kilometres away in the village of Kazuyang, lasted from early morning until late evening.

“There was a lot of heavy artillery fire, and we could also hear machine guns. The artillery fire resumed at around 9am this morning, but hasn’t been as frequent,” he said on Tuesday.

Most residents of Nam Sang Yang, which is an important hub for the flow of goods in the area, have fled the village due to the ongoing conflict.

The regime has been intensifying its pressure on the KIA due to the group’s support for the People’s Defence Force (PDF) and other armed resistance groups since the February 2021 coup.

In late August, a junta convoy transporting reinforcements and supplies from Bhamo reportedly suffered heavy losses after it was hit by explosives near the village of Dawthponeyan, some 50km south of Nam San Yang.

“We heard they had many casualties, both dead and injured. Their injured soldiers were taken to Dawthponeyan, and from there back to Bhamo to be admitted to the hospital,” said Col. Naw Bu.

Despite dramatically increasing its strength in the area in recent months, the military has not been able to make much progress and remains essentially trapped, according to the KIA information officer.

To help break the deadlock, the regime has reportedly begun providing heavy artillery training to pro-junta militias based in northern Shan State so that they can join the fight in Kachin State, he added.

Casualty figures from the recent clashes were not available at the time of reporting, and no information has been released by the regime about its operations in Kachin State.

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