The junta has launched airstrikes on a frontline camp held by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in Khaunglanhpu Township, Kachin State, forcing nearby villagers to flee.
The junta bombed Lahisin Camp, sits between Khaunglanhpu and Tsawlaw townships, on the afternoon of November 18, despite no recent clashes, a source close to the resistance group Kagabu People’s Force (KPF) said.
“The bombing didn’t hit the camp directly. It looks like the junta’s aircraft dropped the bombs without knowing the exact location. Its reconnaissance planes have been flying over this area almost every day lately,” he told KNG.
The KIA-led resistance alliance captured Lang Se Village in Tsawlaw Township and Lahisin Camp in Khaunglanhpu Township in October 2024.
The junta conducted a follow-up airstrike around the camp on November 19 at approximately 2:30 pm, dropping at least 10 bombs, though the extent of the damage remains unknown.
As the junta has stepped up bombing and reconnaissance flights around Lahisin Camp in recent days, nearby communities, fearing airstrikes, evacuated in advance.
“The planes are flying over the camp and Khaunglanhpu town like it’s routine, forcing villagers to leave temporarily,” a fighter of the KPF said.
The aircraft carrying out bombings and reconnaissance flights around Lahisin Camp took off from Putao Airport in Kachin State.
“The aircraft came from (Kachin State’s capital) Myitkyina and made a brief stop at Putao Airport. From there, they usually head to Khaunglanhpu. You can see two or three fighter jets taking off every day,” a Putao resident reported.
Previously, the junta’s fighter jets did not land at Putao, but as the military situation in Khaunglanhpu intensified, these attack aircraft were deployed there.
From September 19 to 24, the junta launched an offensive with around 500 troops to retake Lahisin Camp and Lang Se Town from the KIA but suffered heavy losses and was forced to retreat following ambushes by the KIA-led coalition.
Following the junta’s retreat, the KIA and allied forces carried out a series of operations in Khaunglanhpu Township, capturing junta outposts one by one and prompting the junta to respond with reinforcements and bombing missions.
Putao District consists of five townships: Putao, Machanbaw, Naungmon, Sumprabum, and Khaunglanhpu, with Sumprabum currently under the control of the KIA-led alliance.
