Kachin, Feb 14 (.) The armed wing of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) has pushed to within 100 metres of a key Myanmar military installation in the Kachin state’s Waingmaw township, tightening its encirclement of Infantry Battalion 58 and triggering near-daily clashes, said the militant outfit’s spokesperson.
Waingmaw is a critical link to the Kachin State capital, Myitkyina (located just across the Irrawaddy River), and strategic border trade routes to China.
KIA commander, Col. Naw Bu, speaking to local media said that KIA-led forces have overrun junta outposts, and are now positioned along the perimeter of the main base, fortifying their positions. However, he said no order has yet been issued for a full-scale assault to capture the headquarters.
“Infantry Battalion 58 is surrounded by security posts and front-line units. In some places we are only about 100 metres apart, so even small movements trigger exchanges of small arms fire,” Col Naw Bu said.
“The Northern Command is shelling us from Myitkyina and the air force is also conducting strikes,” reports Irrawaddy.
The Waingmaw township, is separated from the Kachin State capital Myitkyina by the Irrawaddy River, and for months has witnessed intense fighting between the Myanmar army, and KIA rebels, with the former amping up operations in and around the Lamyin village, which is located roughly 8 kilometres from the town.
According to local reports, KIA fighters are now in possession of military weapons and ammunition, following the recent clashes near Waingmaw, though the group has is yet to confirm the reports.
As per social media posts from individuals close to the Myanmar military, two military officers – including a deputy battalion commander with the rank of major and a lieutenant – were killed in the fighting in Waingmaw. The military has not publicly commented on the reported casualties.
The push around Waingmaw forms part of a broader offensive across Kachin, as KIA leader Lt Gen Gun Maw declared last week that the militia’s ultimate aims to capture both Myitkyina – home to the junta’s Northern Command headquarters and an air base – and Waingmaw.
Redirecting operations on this course, the KIA’s operational focus as such has currently shifted toward securing, ad fortifying positions along the N’Mai River, one of the two tributaries that form the Irrawaddy, a strategically crucial position, providing an excellent natural defensive wall for troops, as well as a potent observation platform, and providing critical access to both supply lines, trade routes, as well as political leverage, due to their proximity to hydropower projects.
Over the past year, the KIA has seized multiple towns in Kachin, including key border crossings with China and rare-earth mining hubs that are strategically and economically significant points for the junta.
Additionally, the group has also waged an intense campaign for control of the Bhamo township, Kachin’s second-largest town, which Gun Maw has termed crucial for the organisation’s long-term strategic goals, making it one of the most intense battlefields currently between the junta forces, and the KIA troops.
The conflict has further spilled beyond Waingmaw and Bhamo into Indawgyi and Hpakant, where civilian casualties have reportedly risen amid junta air strikes, artillery bombardments, and landmine incidents.
According to Lt Gen Gun Maw, the KIA is coordinating with local resistance forces to secure three northern Sagaing Region townships he described as a strategic gateway into Kachin State. These include the Kawlin, Kantbalu and Katha, as control of these areas allow for the bolstering of supply lines and will further intensify pressure on the already pressed junta positions across the north.
As both sides entrench along front lines that in places lie just metres apart, the risk of a major escalation looms, particularly if the KIA proceeds with a full assault on Infantry Battalion 58, which could potentially further destabilise an already volatile northern theatre of Myanmar’s escalating, bloody civil war, and even lead to wider regional security repercussions.
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