The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and joint forces have attacked and captured a strategic base of the military council in Si Hkam Gyi village, Mansi Township of Kachin State, according to the KIA front-line sources.
On the morning of 19 February, after three days of fighting, the combined force of the KIA, Arakan Army (AA) and People’s Defense Forces (PDFs) seized complete control of the Si Hkam Gyi military camp, where the military council had been stationed for around 30 years, the KIA front-line source confirmed.
“It is true that the camp was captured. It was around 10 am today. It is still difficult to give details because the area is still being cleared,” the news source said.
The military council army’s Si Hkam Gyi village strategic base, is located only 30 miles away from Mansi town. It is a strategic place in terms of military and transportation as the village is located on the Shan-Kachin border and the Myitkyina-Mandalay Union Road.
In addition, it is a main route which supplies rations overland to Bhamo which is the district headquarters of Kachin State.
The KIA and joint forces are carrying out area clearance in Si Hkam Gyi camp. It is difficult to provide details because the military council is still conducting airstrikes, he said.
On 16 February, the joint forces attacked Si Hkam Gyi military camp. The military council carried out heavy aerial bombardments to prevent the camp from losing to the joint forces.
The military council’s airstrikes destroyed many religious buildings, schools and civilian houses in the village. Around 1,000 local residents were forced to flee to safety, a local from Mansi said.
“Till this morning, the military carried out bombardments. We fled the village since fighting erupted, and the houses were severely destroyed and damaged,” the local said.
Locals said that since the day the fighting started, the military council has bombarded Si Hkam Gyi village up to 30 times, and both sides suffered heavy casualties.
The Si Hkam Gyi camp is under the command of the northern military command, where Infantry Battalions-121, 15, 276 and 223 based in Mansi Township are stationed. The Si Hkam Gyi camp is mainly supplying rations and weapons to the junta troops in Bhamo.
Since early 2024, the KIA, Kachin PDF (KPDF) and joint forces have been attacking and capturing the military council’s camps on the Kachin-Shan border. In January alone, the joint forces captured Manweingyi, Kitehtake and Balaungdainsar camps in Mansi Township in addition to Mabein town.
Sent by KNG