In the areas of KIA Brigade 8 and Brigade 9, which are both militarily and economically important, local residents are saying that the fighting between the Military Council troops and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) - People's Defense Forces (PDF) joint forces may intensify.
Similarly, the KIO/KIA Central Headquarters said that KIA Brigade 8 and 9 areas of the Kachin-Sagaing border have been instructed to counter-fire against the offensive of the Military Council troops.
On January 24, there was an incident where the 26th, 6th and 44th battalions under the KIA Brigade 9 launched a simultaneous attack on 3 locations.
In areas such as Indaw, Katha and Htigyaing which is the area of KIA Brigade 8, KIA, People's Defense Forces (PDF) and Regional Defense Force are regularly attacking the Military Council troops.
A resident of Mohnyin close to the KIA told KNG that the fighting may intensify this year in KIA Brigade 8's area of Katha, Shwegu, Indaw, Mohnyin, where the Ayeyarwaddy River and the road pass through the Military Council's military ration supply to Kachin State.
"The area of KIA Brigade 8 is the upper part of Sagaing region and has to pass through here to go down to central Myanmar. After that, these are the places where the PDF groups regularly move militarily to dominate the area. Just like that, the Military Council will also fight. Therefore, it cannot be said that fighting is impossible in these places. Then, in 2023, the NUG announced to speed up the revolution. The fight is not going to get any less. It is only going to get worse. But they will avoid villages and fight where there is war," he said.
During the year 2022, in Kachin-Sagai border areas of Indaw, Katha and Htigyaing, there were many battles between the Military Council troops and the KIA-PDF joint forces, and there were at least 20 aerial bombardments by the Military Council, according to the statement of the defense forces in that area.
It is reported that the Military Council forces not only carried out airstrikes but also torched houses, resulting in over a thousand internally displaced persons (IDPs) from 22 villages.
On January 18 of this year, the Military Council bombarded Moe Dar Lay village in Katha Township with jet fighters, killing 7 civilians and injuring at least 5 others.
Indaw, Katha and Htigyaing areas are the military operations area of 35 battalions under the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) Brigade 8, as well as the area designated as Military Region (1) of the National Unity Government (NUG).
In addition to the military tension in the area of Brigade 8, which is the main support route of the military junta, fighting is also taking place regularly in the townships of Sagaing bordering Hpakant, which is the area of KIA Brigade 9.
After the military coup, the 44th Battalion of the Kamaing-Hpakant Road, the 31st Battalion of the Sagaing Border Homalin Region, the 6th battalion where the jade is produced and the 26th Battalion of the Sezin-Sagaing, which are under KIA Brigade 9, were theareas where the most fighting occurred.
On August 8, 2022, in the Sezin area of the 26th KIA battalion, after about 1 week of fierce fighting between the Military Council troops and the KIA, the KIA side captured and destroyed a Shanni army base under the Military Council, and the Military Council side also torched about 400 houses in the Sezin area.
According to military observers, the area of the 26th KIA battalion has seen the most fighting, mainly because the Military Council has been conducting regular offensives with massive military forces from the Sagaing region.
The Military Council army, which was defeated in such battles, bombed A Nang Pa in Hpakant township on the night of October 23, killing more than 60 civilians and injuring many.
However, Hpakant area, which is the 6th battalion area of Bridgae 9 headquarters, is an easy area for fighting as the jade industry is a lucrative business route for the Military Council along with other armed organizations, according to a Phakant local who asked not to be named.
“As you all know, there has been regular fighting in Brigade 9's area for a long time. Mainly because it is a place where resources are produced. The KIA will not let go of the area it owns, and the military junta will continue to dominate the area. So the war is only going to get worse than it is now," he said.
Currently, daily murders and arrests are happening regularly in Hpakant, and residents say that the situation will increase in the future.
KIO Information Officer Colonel U Naw Bu told KNG that KIA Brigade 8 and 9 were ordered to fire counterattacks to the Military Council's offensive.
“Brigade 8 is serving as reinforcements with PDF forces from the area. That's why more fighting is going on in that area. Then, in the Brigade 9 area, the junta is also working to block the income of our KIO groups. And air strikes are carried out. That's whyI have given the order to shoot if the military junta makes offensive attacks in these places," he said.
In the Hpakant region and the Kachin-Sagaing border region, as the People's Defense Forces gained control over the area, some of the Military Council's military bases were attacked by the KIA and PDF in the past year.
Other areas of heavy fighting in 2022 were Lung Ja Bum battle near Momauk City in Brigade 3's area, Nam Zaw Yang battle in Battalion 3 under Brigade 5, and Sum Pi Yang battle in Brigade 1.
Colonel Naw Bu told KNG that there were around 1,200 clashes between the Military Council troops and the Kachin Independence Army KIA-PDF joint forces in Kachin State after the military coup in 2021 and 2022.
In the two years since the military coup in Kachin State, there have been around 1,200 clashes between tMilitary Council and the Kachin Independence Army KIA-PDF joint forces, Colonel Naw Bu told KNG.
