Intense fighting has broken out between the military council forces and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) joint forces in Hpakant city, Kachin State, with reports of significant casualties on the military side, including high-ranking officers, according to KIA military sources. On June 17, two separate battles occurred in Hpakant, with one taking place at Mawsizar Pagoda Hill, where KIA and People’s Defense Force (PDF) joint forces launched an offensive against military council troops stationed in the area.
During the battle, numerous military casualties were reported, including a high-ranking officer, as confirmed by KIA military sources. Additionally, KIA and PDF joint forces are engaging military council troops stationed at a church in Mawwan Lay village in Hpakant. The military column had recently established its position in Mawwan Lay village, and currently, civilians from both Mawwan Lay and Mawwan Gyi areas are being forced to flee as internally displaced persons due to the fighting.
The military column from the Moekaung-based 3rd Infantry Division, led by Brigade Commander Brigadier General Zaw Latt, has been responsible for the torture and killing of more than thirty civilians since their arrival in Hpakant. Local residents are living in fear as the military column has been conducting daily acts of violence, including burning jade mining sites and killing innocent civilians. The military council’s 3rd Infantry Division column from Moekaung began its operation in Hpakant in late May, and fighting has been occurring almost daily for nearly twenty days now.
