A column of about 300 junta troops that marched from Myitkyina on 15 March is hiding near Longshayang and Hpatmar villages in Puta-O Township after they could not pass through Puta-O, raising tensions between the regime side and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and raising residents’ fears that fighting could break out, locals reported.
“It is true that the junta troops have marched in three columns from Puta-O. They are hiding near the villages because they might get into a clash with the KIA and the PDF if they can’t cross the town. That’s why we locals are worried that the fighting might flare up again,” a Longshayang resident told KNG.
More than 200 military council soldiers, one column from Myitkyina and two columns from Puta-O, were reportedly stationed near Longshayang and Hpatmar villages.
On 14 March, the KIA and PDF attacked military council columns more than six times, advancing from Myitkyina in villages such as Tayang Zup, Sup Hka, Maihtaung, and Ka War Pan in Myitkyina and Sumprabum townships.
After suffering setbacks in the resistance’s attacks, the regime’s troops have since been stationed in Longshayang and Hpatmar villages. On 20 March, they were reinforced by additional troops from Puta-O and Machanbaw.
With the two sides watching each other, residents fear they will have to flee again if fighting flares up in the area.
The military council’s 138th Light Infantry Battalion, based in Mularsheedee village, fired artillery shells around 10 pm at areas where they suspected KIA and PDF presence on 20 March.
Three artillery shells landed and exploded near Hpatmar village, said another resident.
“One of the shells hit a bamboo grove near the entrance of Hpatmar. Another grenade fell and exploded near Longsha village. The explosion of another shell was heard with a loud bang. We heard that splinters from the first shell hit some houses, but no one was injured,” he said.
Locals said military council troops may have entered the area for an area clearance operation, as the area along the section of the Myitkyina-Sumprabum-Puta-O Road is under the control of the KIA and the PDF.
Tensions between the two sides have risen again in 2023 for the first time since fighting between regime forces and the combined forces of the KIA and the PDF in early 2022.
In a 2 March statement, the KIA and PDF urged local residents to travel on the Myitkyina-Puta-O section only between 6 am and 6 pm, to cover trucks only with transparent tarps, and to drive their cars with the windows down.
Sent by KNG.