The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) claims to have seized a Myanmar junta outpost in northern Shan State.
During the Kutkai Township raid, junta mortar rounds hit a nearby village, killing a teenage boy and injuring three villagers, residents told The Irrawaddy.
The camp was reportedly held by around 100 troops near Kaung Yar village on the Kutkai-Muse highway.
KIA spokesman Colonel Naw Bu told the media that the junta base was only temporarily seized.
The Irrawaddy could not independently verify the reports and the KIA could not be reached for a comment.
“It was a heavy clash when the KIA raided the junta camp. Both sides used explosives,” a Kaung Yar villager said.
Infantry Battalion 123, based in nearby Nam Hpat Kar village, used at least ten 120mm rounds to shell the area. A Kaung Yar village house was destroyed by junta shelling.
Two junta shells exploded in nearby Zee Daban village, killing a 16-year-old boy and injuring three others.
“A family of three was injured when a shell hit their house. A teacher was also injured,” a resident said.
More than 150 Kaung Yar villagers are sheltering in a nearby village. Tensions remain high in the area as the junta on Wednesday deployed around 60 reinforcements to the outpost which was temporarily seized by KIA troops on Tuesday.
On July 16, two clashes between a junta convoy and KIA troops broke out in Kutkai.
This month clashes between the regime and KIA renewed in northern Shan and Kachin states.
The junta last week launched offensives in Waingmaw Township, Kachin State, 9km from the KIA’s headquarters in Laiza.
Col Naw Bu recently told the Shan News that junta offensives aim to take control of key Shan and Kachin roads.
