Fighting between the Burmese government and Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) broke out Tuesday morning in Nam Lim Pa area near the Kachin/Shan state border, said local church and KIO officials.
The fighting started at about 9 a.m. local time and continued until after noon, said a pastor of Kachin Baptist Church in Bhamo (also known as Manmaw), about 40 miles north of Nam Lim Pa.
The conflict erupted when three columns of Burma Army troops marched into Nam Lim Pa territories controlled by KIO armed-wing Kachin Independence Army (KIA) battalion 12 under the 3rd Brigade, according to a KIO official.