Casualties reported in fight between Myanmar Army and KIA
Myitkyina - One man was killed in a confrontation between a group comprising the 238th Infantry Battalion of the Myanmar Army and the People's Militia group and a 15-strong unit from the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), according to the Kachin State govern
The fighting broke out on December 28 about 23 miles east of Chiphwe, sources report. The Myanmar Army seized a hand-made gun and 30 bullets.
“It is currently unclear as to whether fighting has broken out in other places. The place where the fighting broke out is sparsely populated and has no villages,” said an official from the office of Kachin State government.
The news from the Kachin State government differs from the statements of the KIO’s Technical Advisory Team Office.
“I don’t know about the fight in Chiphwe. I got news of fighting in Gwaykyapo, about six kilometres southwest of Kahtanyan village in Karmaing sub-township at 4:30pm on December 28. We have yet to receive any report of casualties. This is in the area controlled by KIA Battalion No.6. The Myanmar Army No.5 Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) shelled it. But we still investigate further,” said Daung Khar from the KIO’s Technical Advisory Team Office.
“The KIA has left this place. The capture of the People’s Militia Groups took place twice in December. There was the fighting in Dawphoneyan on December 19. The confrontations took place in areas where people don’t live. We haven’t yet discussed cases in other regions. We can only come to a conclusion after reviewing the situations on the ground and the documents on the table. We are marching toward the negotiation table by doing like so,” said Daung Khar from the KIO’s Technical Advisory Team Office.
A captain from the KIA said, “A frontline Myanmar Army column is very close to us due to the recent fighting in Chiphwe region. The KIA has informed the Northern Command not to advance, as it is very close to the KIA’s base camps. I don’t know what will happen next.”
Eleven Media received no reply from the Northern Command.
In November, the government army shelled the KIA’s military academy, leaving 23 cadets dead. In the wake of the incident, the monthly talk between the government and the KIO’s conflict-resolution team was postponed. Tensions between the Myanmar Army and the KIA flared up often over the last year.
