The junta is sending reinforcements to Infantry Battalion 137 (IB 137), the garrison unit for Machanbaw in Putao Township, Kachin State, and has closed several roads in the area.
On the morning of November 16, clashes broke out between the junta and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) near the Mali Kha River, south of Machanbaw. Following the fighting, the junta deployed a large number of troops to IB 137 and closed several road sections leading to the town.
“New soldiers from Putao have been arriving in batches. They’re fully equipped with weapons and ammunition. Ever since the recent fighting, those reinforcements have been coming into Machanbaw,” said a 30-year-old Machanbaw resident.
The junta has been reinforcing its troops in Machanbaw following the November 16 skirmishes and has closed the Nawnghkaik river dock, which serves as the access point to Longshayang Village south of the town.
“As the Nawnghkaik dock is closed, no one can go to the Longshayang right now. You can still get to Htanggar Village to the east, but the inspections along the road are really harsh, and soldiers don’t allow anyone to use it at night. The dock is completely shut, and the route toward Natkyun is totally blocked as well,” the source added.
As the junta has closed the Nawnghkaik dock citing the developing military situation, regional transportation has been severely disrupted, and access to farmlands along the lower Mali Kha River has become difficult.
Machanbaw is situated over 10 miles east of Putao, the township’s administrative center. Fearing that the KIA and allied resistance forces might advance toward Putao via the Machanbaw-Putao Road, the junta is sending reinforcements to Machanbaw and tightening control over the connecting routes.
Clashes between the KIA-led resistance alliance and the junta have intensified since late September along the Sumprabum-Putao Road and Nawngmun-Machanbaw Road, which provide access to Putao’s oil facilities.
As fighting became more frequent in Putao Township, the junta stepped up inspections at the town’s entry and exit points and started regular night patrols.
Since October, the junta has set up checkpoints on inter-village routes around the base of Infantry Battalion 46, Putao Town’s garrison unit, and restricted movement of local communities, permitting travel only during designated periods.
Barbed wire fences have been installed along the road in front of the Putao Township police station, and security has been tightened.
On October 12, gunfights erupted near Tanja Village in Putao Township along the Myitkyina-Putao Road, followed by clashes near Htanggar Village on October 13.
