On Wednesday, at least two shells fired by the military regime, officially called State Administration Council (SAC), landed on Chinese soil during artillery shelling against Kachin Independence Organisation/Army (KIO/KIA) in Laiza, situated on the Burmese side of the borderline.
A man knowledgeable about the situation, who spoke with KNG on condition of anonymity, said the shells landed next to a car wash in China. He explained that SAC soldiers, based on top of Hpun Pyen Mountain, fired the shells at 10 am when no fighting was reported between the two armed groups. “Luckily, nobody was injured,” the man said.
This wasn’t the first time shelling had landed in China in recent months, as SAC has been ramping up attacks against KIO/KIA’s headquarters. On November 4, a Chinese national was killed, and two others were injured with at least four shells crossing over the border.
Since the attack a month ago, many people have moved from the area, the source explained, which he says is why no one was hurt during this latest episode.
SAC has increased shelling against Laiza since the end of November when KIO/KIA seized its Gangdau Yang strategic camp.
The regime launched a large offensive in June to capture the Namsan Yang village area, which is near KIO/KIA’s headquarters, but has failed, and some of their camps in the region were captured, or their soldiers were pinned down by the Kachin soldiers.
