Fighting continued Tuesday in Hmaw Si Zar village, Hpakant Township, where junta troops have been conducting offensive operations against Kachin Independence Army (KIA) controlled areas.
Meanwhile, local residents reported the discovery of another civilian body in nearby Yu Mar village.
The military launched an assault from Kamaing into Hpakant, a town renowned for its jade mines, in early May. By late May, junta forces had advanced into mining areas, resulting in frequent clashes, arson attacks, and escalating civilian casualties.
In villages such as Hmaw Si Zar and Taung Yar Kone, where military forces are active, at least 13 bodies have been found since June 12. Locals said that the killings in Taung Yar Kone were carried out by junta troops.
On Tuesday morning, a combined force of the KIA and the Kachin People’s Defense Force (KPDF) launched an attack on junta forces stationed at Pagoda Hill in Hmaw Si Zar village, triggering ongoing clashes. A KPDF member said that despite heavy weapons support from a junta strategic base in Hpakant, the resistance forces inflicted heavy casualties on the government forces.
“We attacked the junta troops stationed in Hmaw Si Zar. Around 20 troops including a major were killed,” said the KPDF member.
The Irrawaddy has not yet been able to independently verify the reported junta casualties.
During the clashes, a heavy artillery shell fired from the junta strategic base hit Kaday Hmaw village, injuring three members of a family, including a child, and damaging several houses.
Fighting also broke out on Monday afternoon near Hmaw Wun Gyi and Hmaw Wun Lay villages. Local sources reported that several civilians were injured by artillery shell blasts.
The KIA stated that the military’s ongoing offensive against Hpakant — marked by the burning of jade mining sites and arbitrary arrest and killing of civilians — is aimed at asserting control over the local population, cutting off a source of income for armed resistance groups, and retaking previously lost hilltop military bases.
As a result of the fighting, many local residents have fled to safer areas.
