Near Mung Hkawng village, Mansi township, Bhamo district, fierce fighting between the Military Council and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) has been going on for 5 consecutive days, and the Military Council has suffered many casualties, according to front-line sources.

At about 8:00 a.m. today, fighting is going on again in Laika Zupja village near Mung Hkawng, and the Military Council is continuously firing artillery shells, said a resident who is fleeing the war in Mung Hkawng from Laika Zupja village.

"Since February 17, the military has been advancing in this direction with a large force. There are also bulldozers to build the road. They are coming with military equipment trucks with heavy weapons. There, the KIA intercepted the military. They stopped attacking on February 18 and have been shooting continuously since February 19. Yesterday and today, they are shooting heavily," said a local from Mung Hkawng.

Since February 17, a column of more than 200 soldiers such as the 237th Infantry Battalion, the 236th Infantry Battalion and the 223rd Infantry Battalion of Military Council marched to the Maji Gung military tactical command center with full military supplies when the 27th KIA Battalion intercepted them and the battle started to intensify.

It is also reported that the Military Council has sent the wounded to Bhamo Hospital in the 5 consecutive days of fighting that started on February 19.

"In the battle on the 17th and 19th, it is precisely known that 1 person from the military side was killed. Until now, I don't know how many people died. 39 injured were sent to Bhamo Hospital. The number of dead and injured in the heavy shooting yesterday and today is unknown," he said.

It is reported that the KIA attacked the Military Council column in the Laika Zupja village, which the locals left behind when they fled

the war, and while they were killing the chickens and pigs in the village.

Residents said that during the fighting, the Military Council troops were continuously firing artillery shells from the entrance of Mung Hkawng village, and some houses in Laika Zupja village were also damaged.

The KIA is regularly intercepting the Military Council

column along Maji Gung road from Mung Hkawng in Mansi Township, which is the area of KIA 3rd Brigade's 27th Battalion.