Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and allied forces have taken full control of three Military council camps in Mansi town in Kachin State today, KIA spokesman Major General Naw Bu confirmed. In Bhamo town, the two sides are still fighting, and KIA and allied forces have been able to take positions in some neighborhoods in the town.
The Kachin Independence Army, KIA and allied forces launched simultaneous offensives in Bhamo and Mansi town on December 4 last year. On December 6, the offensive intensified and Mansi town was finally captured on the afternoon of January 8, KIA spokesman Major General Naw Bu said.
“The three camps in Mansi town were taken this morning. They were able to take control of the town around 11 a.m. It was after fighting resumed on the 6th. This morning, we replenished our forces a little and attacked there, and we were able to take it by around 11:00. It took a long time to take the city. It took a long time to take the police stations inside the city. Our groups are the ones in the city. Now, it is the outskirts of the city. The security posts are being taken.”
The KIA and allied forces attacked Momauk and Mansi simultaneously in the first week of May last year, and took control of the police station and some military barracks in Mansi. Most of the residents of Mansi have been in hiding since then. Today, Major General Naw Bu confirmed that the remaining 319th, 601st and 523rd artillery posts in Mansi town have been taken. Currently, the fighting in Bhamo is still fierce, Major General Naw Bu said.
“The fighting in Bhamo is fierce. There are no barracks or police stations in the city. Everyone retreated to the military base and moved. 47, 21. The communications unit, all the security teams at the university. The artillery, the support units. I don’t know if there are 9. We are not in a position to take it. We can also go in and out of some of the neighborhoods. We are not in a position to control it. We are in a position to go in and out.”
Some local media outlets reported that the KIA had taken over the 47th Battalion based in Bhamo, but Major General Naw Bu did not confirm this. Bhamo is the second capital of Kachin State and is home to the 21st Battalion, 47th Battalion, 121st Battalion, 236th Battalion, 237th Battalion, the artillery, the armoured corps, the tank corps, as well as the communications unit, the medical corps, the engineer corps, the field artillery, the support corps, and other armed forces.
The military council is also fiercely resisting the fall of Bhamo with heavy weapons, drones, and air force. Kachin civil society organizations reported on December 17 that about 30 civilians were killed and more than 150 injured in the fighting for Bhamo that began last month. Locals said that about two-thirds of the population of Bhamo, which has a population of about 150,000, has fled their homes. The military council has not issued any news about the fighting in Kachin State.
Hits: 11