The Burma Army used two helicopters to attack a base of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) on Tuesday near Ja Htar village in Kachin State’s Waingmaw Township, according to KIA sources.
Ground forces from the Tatmadaw first reportedly attacked the frontline of KIA Battalion No. 252, also known as the In-Kham outpost. Following the offensive, two helicopters then shot at the base from the air.
KIA spokesperson Lt-Col Naw Bu told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday evening that while he did not yet know the details of the attack, he had been informed that the Burma Army had used “two gunships” and that the clash had broken out at around 11 a.m. that day.
Fighting between KIA Battalion No. 252 and government troops reportedly began in Waingmaw Township on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Hpakant Township has seen sporadic clashes between KIA Battalion No. 6 and the Burmese military.
Despite opting out of signing the 2015 nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) with the previous government, the KIA said that it would attend Burma’s 21st Century Panglong peace conference scheduled to begin on August 31 in Naypyidaw.
The Irrawaddy called Burma’s military spokesperson, Maj-Gen Aung Ye Win, but he said he could not comment on the situation at the present time.
