The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and People's Defence Force (PDF) joint forces captured the last outpost of the Kachin Border Guard Force (BGF) militia in Lanse Village, Tsawlaw Township in Kachin Special Region 1, on 10 November 2024.
The approximately 30 troops manning the outpost withdrew from it without offering any resistance, so there were was no fighting or casualties.
KIA spokesperson, Colonel Naw Bu, said: “When the KIA-led coalition troops entered the village, all the militia forces at the BGF outpost withdrew without resistance, resulting in no casualties on either side. The KIA was able to capture the outpost without causing any harm to the local village people.”
Colonel Naw Bu praised the militia soldiers for withdrawing and not fighting, suggesting that maybe they had done so because both sides were ethnic Kachin.
The KIA-PDF coalition is currently conducting area clearance and security operations around Lanse Village.
The Kachin BGF controlled all of Kachin State Special Region No. 1. It covers all of Chipwi District in north-east Kachin State near the Chinese border and the Karen BGF controlled the area with three battalions, 1001, 1002 and 1003.
But, the KIA has now captured all three Kachin BGF battalion headquarters.
The KIA captured the Kachin BGF Battalion 1002 headquarters in Lupi Village, Chipwi Township near Pang War Town on 15 October. On 22 October it captured the Battalion 1003 headquarters in Shing Jai Village, also in Chipwi Township, near Kan Paik Ti Town and on 31 October it captured the Battalion 1001 headquarters in Nuzungbaung Village, near Phimaw Town.
The Kachin BGF was previously known as the New Democratic Army – Kachin (NDA-K). The NDA-K was formed by a former KIA commander, Zahkung Ting Ying (a.k.a. S’Khon Tein Yein), an ethnic Lachik, when he split from the KIA in 1989 and aligned the group with the Myanmar military. Kachin State Special Region No. 1. was also formed in 1989 and put under control of the NDA-K.
The KIA-PDF coalition first began offensive operations in Kachin Special Region 1 at the end of September 2024.
