A Year Of Military Coup, KIA Attacks Five Myanmar Regime Troop Bases In Kachin And Shan

KIA army. (Twitter/@KachinNewsGroup)

JAKARTA - The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) attacked five Myanmar military bases in Kachin and northern Shan states on Tuesday, marking one year of a military coup in the country, a spokesman for the organization said.

KIA information officer Colonel Naw Bu said two of the bases attacked were in Kachin State and three were in northern Shan State.

At 10:30 a.m., Kachin troops reportedly attacked two bases in Putao Township, Kachin State, accompanied by members of the Putao People's Defense Force (PDF), who confirmed they were fighting alongside KIA.

They set fire to a base jointly operated by the junta and militias allied to the Myanmar army, about 40 miles east of Putao City on the road to the state capital Myitkyina or just 500 feet from the village of Tsum Pi Yang. A few miles away, allied forces also attacked the Shin Gat Bum base near the village of Ma Hsee Yang.

"We have received intel that we have raided and burned the Tsum Pi Yang base. We have not received any updates regarding the Shin Gat Bum base apart from the attack we carried out," Colonel Naw Bu said, citing Myanmar Now February 3.

The villagers of Tsum Pi Yang fled when artillery shells fired during the fighting fell near the community, according to a resident, but had returned to their homes at the time of reporting.

The local man said he heard the shooting started at around 10 a.m., followed by gunfire and the fighting lasted for about two hours.

"The fire started as soon as the gunfire stopped. From the village, we could see smoke coming out of the base," he told Myanmar Now, adding several soldiers were present at the time of the attack.

Separately in Kutkai Township in northern Shan State, Colonel Naw Bu confirmed KIA also attacked the junta's tactical hill on Tuesday morning.

A local Kutkai resident said he heard artillery fire at around 8 a.m. and another gunfire 30 minutes later, suggesting KIA was withdrawing shortly after.

A civilian suffered a leg injury from a bullet blast as the military continued to fire artillery from a hill after the KIA withdrew, he said. Myanmar Now could not independently verify its statements about the KIA movement and the response of the military or injured local residents.

KIA also attacked the junta base at Nam Hkaing bridge, about 20 miles northwest of Kutkai town and near Namkham Township and the Chinese border, according to Colonel Naw Bu.

He did not provide further information about this attack, or a third target in northern Shan State. KIA has not released a statement about the attack.

Meanwhile, Myanmar's military regime has also not released any information about recent clashes with KIA in Kachin and northern Shan states.

General N'Ban La, chairman of the Kachin Independence Organization, said the group and its armed wing, KIA, are committed to working with individuals and organizations to eradicate the military dictatorship in Myanmar.

Regarding the Myanmar Coup. VOI editors continue to unify the political situation in one of the ASEAN member countries. Civilian casualties continued to fall. Readers can follow news about the Myanmar military coup by tapping this link.