By KLN
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
A battle took place between Kachin people militia (MHH in Kachin) troops under Kachin Independence Army’s (KIA) 18th Battalion and a combined force of Burmese Army’s 261st Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) and 421st Light Infantry Regiment (LIR) troops near Ja Ing Yang village on Feb 10 at 12:40 pm. No casualties on either side have been reported during the battle that lasted for about an hour. A KIA source says Kachin troops withdrew from bases around Ja Ing Yang and repositioned their troops in KIA’s 18th Battalion-controlled area.
Ja Ing Yang village is located on Laja Yang-Hka Ya-Shadan Pa motor road, and about 11 miles west of Myitkyina-Bhamo road. Some Ja Ing Yang villagers who had been displaced by the renewed war began returning to their home village in recent months as fighting appeared to have subsided in the area. They are now trapped as fighting erupted again between KIA and Burmese Army.
Burmese Army’s 261st troops launched another attack on KIA troops stationed at Hka Mazup village, located south of Ja Ing Yang, on the same day at about 4:30 pm. There have been reports of frequent skirmishes between KIA and Burmese
Army in KIA’s 3rd and 4th Brigade area, but this is the first time the two sides engage in fighting in KIA’s 5th Brigade area around Laiza after a period of relative calm.
A local source says Ta-ang National Liberation Army troops fought against a combined force of about 80 troops from Burmese Army’s 505th LIR and 506th LIR near Nam Yan village in northern Shan State on Feb 10 at 8 am. At least 3 government soldiers died in Monday’s battle, said the source.
