Burmese army’s air strikes continue unabated despite calls from UN, US and UK to restrain violence in Kachin region. Fierce ground battles rage across Kachinland on Burma’s independent day as Burmese army escalated ground offensives in several KIO-controlled areas.

Two Burmese army’s fighter jets fired KIA positions on Friday during a battle with KIA’s 3^rd Brigade at Gung Ding Man Win in Gara-yang area. The fierce battle lasted for about 4 hours. A local source says both sides suffered high casualties in this battle. The exact number of casualties has not yet reported by either side.

A fierce battle took place between KIA capital security forces and Burmese army units under Mogaung-based MOC-3 at Lai Lum Awng Ja field near Namsan-yang on Jan 4 at 11 am. Another battle took place between a combined force of KIA’s 1^st and 12^th Battalion under 3^rd Brigade and Burmese army’s 319^th LIB and 601^st LIB at Man Yawk village located between Man Si and Bhamo on Jan 4 at 3 am. The battle lasted for seven hours.

KIA’s capital security forces led by Major Nhkri Zau Ja fought against Burmese army’s 381^st LIB at a rubber field near Laja-yang’s Lung Rawk hill on Jan 3 at 6:15 pm.

A combined Kachin force from Kachin people militia (MHH, MKM) and KIA’s capital security force fought against Burmese army’s 384^th LIB and 390^th LIB near Namsan-yang on Jan 3 at 3 pm.

Two Burmese army fighter jets reportedly fired on KIA positions during a battle between KIA’s 23^rd Battalion and an unknown Burmese army infantry unit at Bumre hill near Namsan-yang on Jan 3, said a front line source.

On Jan 2, two Burmese army’s Russian-made attack helicopters fired rockets and dropped bombs on KIA camps for two rounds during a battle against KIA’s capital security forces at an area between Bumre hill and Hka-ya hill.

A Burmese army medical captain in Myitkyina says about 150 government soldiers have been hospitalized in northern regional military hospital in recent days. KIA sources say about 30 Kachin soldiers have been wounded and hospitalized in the past weeks.

International community started to express concerns about Burmese army’s offensive war as footage of fighter jets circulated among social media users and Burmese army-owned Myawaddy TV broadcasted army’s use of fighter jets to occupy a strategic hill near Laja-yang. The use of air power began on Dec 10 when Burmese army fired rockets from two Russian-made Mi-24 attack helicopters on KIA’s positions during battles between KIA’s 33^rd Battalion under 1^st Brigade and a combined force of Burmese army’s 88^th LID and Northern Regional Command at border post no. 6 near Pang Wa. On Dec 14, three helicopters came to aid ground troops and fired rockets on KIA’s positions near Laja-yang. Local residents described helicopters as Russian-made Mi-24s as they can see two mounted stub wings capable of carrying rockets and automatic cannons. One helicopter was being shot by KIA and seen flew away with spewing black smoke.

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said, “We’re obviously deeply troubled by the increased violence”.

UN General Secretary Ban expressed his concerns In a statement issued by his spokesperson, “While details of these reports are still emerging and being closely followed, the Secretary-General calls upon the Myanmar authorities to desist from any action that could endanger the lives of civilians living in the area or further intensify the conflict in the region”.

UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office Minister Hugo Swire said in a statement, “I am deeply concerned by the ongoing conflict between the Burmese Army and Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in Burma’s Kachin State, including recent reports of air strikes in the state. An escalation in hostilities would put at risk the chance of a lasting peace in Burma”.