A Kachin Independence Army base in Tanai has reportedly been under siege this week, with particularly heavy fighting reported on December 17.
KIA information officer Colonel Naw Bu said that heavy fighting broke out after the Tatmadaw led a ground offensive against the small battalion.
“You can say the fighting was intense in the [KIA’s] 14th battalion area [on December 17],” he said. “Heavy weapons were fired over 80 times … Our outpost there is very small. It wasn’t a strong base.”
Col. Naw Bu said the skirmish lasted around six or seven hours, spaced over several intervals.
Fighting also erupted between the KIA and the Tatmadaw in Mansai township.
Neither side has release information about injuries or deaths incurred as a result of the clashes. Col Naw Bu said with tensions remaining high, the KIA’s 14th battalion in Tanai township and Brigade 3 in Man Wein Gyi under Mansi township remain prepared for clashes to re-erupt at anytime.
A local resident of Tanai confirmed clashes have been heard sporadically since a November 15 fight in the area between Mai Sat Post and In Ga Ga
“We can hear it from the town,” he said. “We can hear it more when we are in the paddy field. The town residents can hear it at night. Sometimes, we hear them firing consecutively for two or three hours.”
He added that the clashes seem to break out more frequently over the weekends.
