The Burma Army is preparing to launch a large military offensive codenamed ‘Operation Moe Pyar’ (Operation Sky-Blue) against the Kachin Independence Army’s (KIA) Sixth Brigade in northern Shan State according to Sixth Brigade officials.
A senior military official from the KIA’s Sixth Brigade told Kachin News Group (KNG) that over 2,000 Burma Army soldiers including the 66th and 99th Light Infantry Divisions have arrived in Mong Ko where KIA Sixth brigade headquarters are located.
According to the Sixth Brigade officials the Burma Army has been increasing the number of its troops in the area ever since the Union Peace-Making Working Committee (UPWC) issued a letter on 29 February objecting to the KIA’s reinforcement of Sixth Brigade.
Local residents said that since the Restoration Council of Shan State/Shan State Army (RCSS/SSA) signed the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) on 15 October 2015 they have been holding military exercises with the Burma Army in the area.
Translated by Thida Linn
Edited in English by Mark Inkey for BNI
