Three Burmese military officers were killed yesterday when the Kachin Independence Army attacked their army convoy near Kutkai on the Mandalay-Muse highway, witnesses reported.
The attack, which took place on a normally busy trading route with China, severely damaged two out of the five trucks in the convoy.
Reached for comment, a representative of the KIA’s Shan State-based 4th Brigade claimed that three Burmese officers, including a major and a captain, were killed in the attack. 
The convoy was believed traveling from Lashio and bringing reinforcements to Mongkoe where the Burmese army also came under attack early yesterday morning.
Yesterday’s attack in Mongkoe on a compound housing the Burmese Army’s Strategic Office (Byu-ha-kone in Burmese) reportedly killed at least 18 Burmese soldiers. The raid on Mongkoe, formerly the headquarters of the now defunct Burmese Communist Party, also killed Major Maung Maung Myo, commander of the Chinshwehawy (Nyankun)-based Infantry Battalion No. 129.
Residents of Mongkoe report that the town has now been encircled by troops from the KIA.
Since early June, Kachin and parts of northern Shan States have witnessed daily clashes between the KIA and the Burmese army. The conflict began when the Burmese government chose to end the 17-year ceasefire between the two sides.
This story was compiled by our correspondent in Shan State.
