Locals report that the military junta’s Infantry Battalion 58 and the Wu Yang militia have begun to increase their security by digging trenches around their positions and tighten security in some village roads.
A local man from said that on 17 July, a man-deep trench was dug right next to the old bamboo fence surrounding the Wu Yang militia camp to increase security.
“I see this as a tightening of their security as the fighting in Waingmaw is now very close to the IB 58. If the battalion falls, it will be close to the Northern Command. This battalion is the only one left on the frontline, so I think they are fortifying the Wu Yang militia camp as a defensive position for better security,” he said.
Locals say that while there were no trenches dug at the Wu Yang camp before, they are now making visible military preparations due to concerns about the security situation in Waingmaw.
Moreover, the roads between Hkakrum and Wu Yang villages , where the IB 58 is located, have been closed and security tightened, making it difficult for Waingmaw locals to move freely.
Since May and June, combined columns of about 100 junta troops and militia members have blocked some road areas, dig trenches in some road sections, and impose tight security measures along the road to Wu Yang and Hkakrum, according to locals.
Meanwhile, the lower part of Wu Yang village, which is closest to Waingmaw town, is controlled by the junta troops and militia, while the upper part including La Myan, Moke Kyeik, and Nam War is held by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and allied forces, according to local sources.
A local man from Wu Yang said that due to the military situation between the junta troops and KIA forces in the Waingmaw Township, with both sides keep an eye on each other in both upper and lower parts of Wu Yang village, locals are facing difficulties in travel.
“Sometimes they don’t allow passage, sometimes they do. Most Waingmaw locals are fleeing their villages because of the military situation. Sometimes they don’t even allow people to briefly return to their village. They’re turned back at checkpoints. The situation is even worse in the Wu Yang area. They check people they think are strangers even more thoroughly. They check phones, motorcycles, charging cables, everything. Some people have even been beaten. They have set up checkpoints in places where there were none before,” he said.
Waingmaw locals have been displaced since May after the KIA and allied forces launched offensives to capture junta positions in Waingmaw Township. Nearly all villages along the road are reported to have been displaced by the conflict.
Sent by KNG.