Over 200 Myanmar junta positions have been seized in Kachin State by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and its allies.
According to KIA's information officer, Colonel Naw Bu, the junta positions were seized in four months, Irrawaddy reports..
KIA and its allied forces initiated a coordinated assault on March 7, targeting more than 10 junta outposts along the Bhamo-Myitkyina road.
By April 1, the armed group had seized control of Sinlum Bum, a crucial base that had dominated the 60km stretch between Bhamo and Lwegel for over six decades. From this vantage point, the KIA launched artillery attacks on the town of Mai Ja Yang, which remains under KIA control.
On April 8, the KIA successfully occupied Lwegel, one of five key trade towns situated along the Chinese border.
Further expanding their offensive, the KIA attacked the strategically significant town of Momauk on April 22.
Col Naw Bu told Irrawaddy that Sinlum Bum, Lwegel, Manweingyi, Sumprabom, Myo Thit Kone, Namby, Tar Saii, Kone Law, and Sin Khan were crucial bases seized during the four months.
In early May, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and its allies seized over 80 positions, including 11 battalion headquarters, along key roads in several townships.
Before May, the KIA had already taken control of Dawthponeyan, Lwegel, Hsinbo, and Sumprabum towns. Sumprabum is a key town to control the Myitkyina-Putao route.
Currently, the KIA is engaged in heavy clashes at the headquarters of Light Infantry Battalion 437 in Momauk town, which serves as a crucial link between the state capital Myitkyina, and Bhamo, the second-largest town in Kachin State.