The first of the lethal clashes took place Monday morning, east of Kamaing in the jade rich Hpakant district located in the west of the war torn state. Three government soldiers were killed and several more injured during the short battle that saw KIA’s Battalion 6 troops face off against the army.

Four more government soldiers are believed have died after the vehicle they were traveling in came under attack from Kachin resistance forces on the Myitkyina-Putao road, according to local residents. The vehicle was part of a military convoy consisting of more than 30 trucks heading north. The incident occurred between Tayang Zup and Sup Hka where clashes have been ongoing between Burma's military and forces from the KIA’s 1st Brigade for the past few days.

Led by former general turned President Thein Sein, Burma's nominally civilian government last week sent thousands of reinforcements to Kachin state. Most of the new troops arrived in Myitkyina by train last Friday, eyewitnesses told KNG. According to sources on the ground most of the soldiers were then sent to government positions that face KIA strongholds in the east, west and north of Kachin state.

Officers at the KIA's Laiza headquarters told KNG that an estimated 1,000 new combat troops have arrived over the past few days to reinforce army positions near Laiza. The headquarters is home to an estimated 30,000 refugees who face an uncertain future as the government appears ready to launch a large scale assault.

The army's reinforcements were sent shortly after the latest round of peace talks between Burma's government and the KIO ended without agreement in the Chinese city Ruili. The move to send more troops to the front lines comes less than 10 days before US president Barrack Obama is set to travel to Burma, the first visit by a sitting US president in Burmese history.