Burma-Myanmar: Kachin Independence Army (KIA) clashed with army to defend mountain base in Lwaigyai
Burmese government troops this week mounted an aggressive assault to overrun another strategic Kachin Independence Army (KIA) base in Lwaigyai near the Sino-Burma border.
According to the KIA, more than 90 battles or clashes have broken out since the president ordered his commanders to put an end to hostilities in the northern region.
More than 160 clashes between government forces and Kachin troops were recorded by the KIA for the month of December—more than 90 of which broke out after the presidential order on Dec. 10, said La Nan, the spokesman for the KIA’s political wing, the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO).
“They [Burmese army] tried to overrun the base yesterday,” he told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday. “Today, they launched another heavy attack with support from helicopters. The base is located on the top of a very high mountain. Militarily, it is a very strategic location.”