As junta airstrikes on the Kachin Independence Army (KIA)-controlled areas in Waingmaw Township increase, the junta has been reinforcing its positions in and around Waingmaw Town.
During October and November 2024, in Waingmaw Township, the KIA took control of the towns of Sadon, Chipwi, and Kan Paik Ti, and many rural areas that were part of an area that was, until recently, known as Kachin Special Region 1. The territory was taken from the junta-aligned Kachin Border Guard Force (BGF) which previously controlled all of Kachin Special Region 1, which covered areas of Waingmaw, Chipwi, and Tsawlaw, townships in Kachin State.
Currently in Waingmaw Township, the KIA also controls most of the road going from Kan Paik Ti Town at the Chinese border to the towns of Sadon and then Waingmaw. The junta only controls the road from Wuyang Village, just outside Waingmaw Town to Waingmaw Town.
Since the KIA took control of these areas the junta has launched airstrikes and drone attacks on them and tightened security checks in Waingmaw Town, which is still firmly under junta control.
The junta has also closed the road in front of the Infantry Battalion (IB) 58 base in Waingmaw Town to all traffic, except a few motorcycles and reinforced its troop numbers in the town, according to a Waingmaw Town resident.
She said to KNG: “These restrictions have become more noticeable recently. I’m not sure what kind of intelligence the junta has received, but they’ve even closed the road in front of Infantry Battalion (IB) 58 in Waingmaw Town. Following the KIA’s captures of Pang War [in Chipwi Township, Kachin State] and Kan Paik Ti, the junta appears increasingly anxious. Its military activities are visibly intensifying, with reinforcements also being deployed.”
The junta has also increased security in and around Waingmaw Town. This has led to frequent fighting between the junta and defence forces in Sankar Village, Waingmaw Township, about 15 km outside Waingmaw Town, on the Ayeyarwady River
Residents of Waingmaw Town are concerned that the fighting may spread to Waingmaw Town and that they may have to flee the town.
Another Waingmaw Town resident said: “We are worried about which way to flee if clashes break out in Waingmaw. We can't decide whether to head to Sadon or take the route to Samar (Village). Since the junta has also closed the Bala Min Htin Bridge [to Myitkyina Town], we’re also concerned about being unable to reach the Nawngchain [Village] side. It’s very confusing when we think about it.”
Nawngchain Village in Myitkyina Township, across the Bala Min Htin Bridge from Waingmaw Township, is an area where people displaced by fighting in Waingmaw Township have been sheltering.
