On August 24, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and Kachin People's Defence Force (Kachin PDF) warned residents of Nantsawlaw Village in Monghnyin Township, Kachin State, to evacuate due to the imminent risk of fighting.

“Junta soldiers have recently been deployed in Nantsawlaw Village, and it’s believed to be a temporary encampment. The Kachin PDF is preparing to drive them out. Once the fighting begins, there could be artillery shelling. That’s why the KIA and Kachin PDF are urging villagers to evacuate now for their own safety,” said a resident of Nanmar Village, close to Nantsawlaw.

Recently, two junta-controlled police officers from Nanmar Village Police Station were ambushed while patrolling near Nantsawlaw Village. Their vehicle was set on fire in the attack, killing both officers.

This incident led to the temporary deployment of junta soldiers in Nantsawlaw Village, and the Kachin PDF is now planning to attack and expel them from the area.

“It’s unclear if all the villagers will leave. Some have already sent their valuables to relatives in Nanmar, but they’re still staying in the village. They plan to flee only if and when the fighting actually starts,” according to a Nantsawlaw villager.

As of August 27, it remains unclear whether fighting has actually occurred in Nantsawlaw, though residents of Monghnyin Town reported hearing artillery fire from the village that evening.

Battalions 5 and 35 of KIA Brigade 8 are operating in the forests behind the villages of Nantsawlaw, Nanmar, Taunginn, Letpantan, and Phayakwin along the Monghnyin-Hopin Road.

Previously, on May 12, 2023, clashes erupted in Nantsawlaw Village between the KIA-PDF coalition and the junta, involving artillery exchanges that forced residents to flee and caused damage to village houses.

Nantsawlaw Village is home to over 200 households, with a population of approximately 2,000.