After setting ablaze the villages of Bokone and Chaungwa in Kachin State, a formidable military convoy of approximately 300 soldiers embarked on boats heading towards Bhamo on the morning of July 6th. Their journey was facilitated by three heavily fortified ironclad vessels.
However their journey was abruptly disrupted when the Junta’s river convoy came under fire from local defense forces who executed well-planned ambushes at the villages of Ngapaukwa and Zinbon, located near Shwegu.
According to an unnamed villager from Zinbon, two innocent civilians were inadvertently injured due to indiscriminate firing by the Military Council troops in response to these ambushes.
"As resistance fighters launched drone attacks on the vessels from above near Ngapaukwa village, the soldiers responded with indiscriminate fire, accidentally injuring two individuals," he said. Both the injured were Ngapaukwa village residents, a 33-year-old man and an 18-year-old girl.
After being intercepted at Ngapaukwa, the military column persisted in their journey along the river , only to encounter another attack by determined resistance forces near Zinbon village. Witnesses reported that this clash was notably more intense.
During the 30-minute skirmish that took place near Zinbon, both the resistance forces and the Military Council employed a range of weapons. The resistance forces utilized drones alongside small arms, while the Military Council responded with a combination of artillery and small arms fire. KNG cannot independently verify the situation of casualties on both sides during these ambushes.
One of the ironclad vessels used by the Military Council was forcibly brought from the possession of the abbot of the Tawpone village monastery and carried out operations with the religious flag hoisted, locals said.
As the conflict between the resistance forces and the Military Council persists, residents of Ngapaukwa, Zinbon, and Tawpone villages are currently evacuating to seek safety.
