Burma-Myanmar: Burma army suffered more than 60 casualties in Kachin State offensive
A Burmese soldier waits for a train in Rangoon with his fellow soldiers as they head to the frontlines of the conflict in Kachin State. (Photo: Reuters)
As war escalates in Burma’s northernmost state, ethnic rebels fighting for their basic rights have killed and injured more than 60 government soldiers in response to an attack on their headquarters, an allied armed group claimed on Monday.
The All Burma Students’ Democratic Front (ABSDF), an armed group fighting alongside ethnic rebels in northern Kachin State, said government forces suffered the casualties on Friday after launching an offensive in Lajayang region, near the rebels’ headquarters in the town of Laiza, where about 70,000 displaced civilians are staying in refugee camps.
In a one-day battle about 10 km from Laiza, rebel forces killed and injured more than 60 government soldiers and captured many of their weapons, ABSDF soldier Min Htay told The Irrawaddy on Monday.
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