Burmese troops mistakenly killed 3 and injured 7 of their own personnel on July 20 at 6:30 p.m. Burma Standard Time, on the road between Myitkyina and Hpakant, in Kachin State, northern Burma, witnesses said.
The shooting happened when Burmese troops met another squad of their own men wearing Kachin Independence Army (KIA) uniforms at Namting Hill side road, local witnesses said.
The troops involved in the incident were from Infantry Battalion No. 298, based in Dumbang Village, situated between the towns of Namti and Danai, added witnesses.
KIA officers in Hpakant confirmed the incident to Thailand-based Kachin News Group.
Three soldiers with minor wounds were sent to nearby Kamaing Hospital and 4 seriously injured troops were transported to the hospital in Mogaung, according to local witnesses.
Dozens of Burmese troops have been killed and injured since the Burmese Army began an offensive against the KIA on June 9, according to sources close to the Burmese military.
Less than a dozen KIA soldiers were also killed in the fighting and a series of landmine related accidents, according to KIA officials.
