The junta fired artillery at Kachin Independence Army (KIA) positions in 5-Mile and 6-Mile villages in Kachin State’s Hpakant Township at about 11:00 pm on 19 May.

The junta fired three artillery rounds from a hilltop position in Hpakant Town targeting KIA troops stationed in the villages of 5-Mile and 6-Mile in Lhon Village Tract, according to a source close to the KIA who spoke to MNJ.

He said: “The junta fired from the hill where its division is based, targeting areas where KIA troops were positioned. It has also set up artillery batteries at Mazwutyang Prison, [in Kachin State’s Injangyang Township] but we haven’t received any reports of artillery being fired from there last night—or maybe the reports just haven’t reached us yet.”

The sound of night time artillery fire triggered panic amongst residents of villages in Hpakant Township.

“The artillery fire was so loud, it jolted me awake right in the middle of my sleep,” said a woman from Mawsisar Village in Lone Khin Village Tract where people displaced by fighting on the Myitkyina to Hpakant Road in Kachin State are sheltering and need assistance.

Since 4 May 2025, the junta has increased its operations on the Myitkyina to Hpakant road in Hpakant Township with junta soldiers stationing themselves in Kathmawsut Village, about 23.5 miles (about 38 km) from Hpakant Town and about 80 miles (about 128.5km) from Myitkyina City. It is next to Namya Village which is controlled by a coalition of KIA and local people’s defence force (PDF) fighters.

On 19 May, junta troops advanced along the road towards Myitkyina City and are now stationed close to Tadarnyinawng Village in Myitkyina Township, sparking intense skirmishes with KIA and PDF forces.

The fighting has displaced people from villages along the Myitkyina to Hpakant road in Hpakant Township. They include Maubin, Kyaukhtu, Namya, Kathmaw, Kunsaizup, Tadarnyinawng, Hsenghpayar, Kyaukhpyar, Nantein, and Pyarohn.