The State Administration Council (SAC) launched more artillery strikes on Laiza and Mai Ja Yang along the border with China at the same time its forces were involved in intense clashes with Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in Momauk Township, where both towns are situated.
“They fired at least 3 shells this morning,” a Laiza resident told KNG about the attack on Munglai Hkyet that happened at around 11 am on December 15. He said SAC soldiers stationed on Hkaya Mountain fired the artillery.
The source also mentioned that regime troops based on Yaw Yung Mountain near Loije in Momauk Township shelled Mai Ja Yang with artillery at noon on December 15, causing residents from Ward 5 to flee. Two children living in the ward and near the college suffered minor injuries from the attack.
Both Laiza and Mai Ja Yang are headquarters for the KIA and its political wing, Kachin Independence Organisation, in Kachin State.
Last Wednesday, KIA and People’s Defence Force seized Maw Luu in the neighboring Sagaing Region. The strategically located town in Indaw township is situated along the Kachin State border.
Additionally, the resistance forces overtook an Infantry Battalion 320 military outpost next to the village of Shwe Nyaung Pin in Waingmaw Township and another military outpost near Tarlawgyi village in Myitkyina Township on December 14.
