Fighting Surges Along Irrawaddy River as Military Flotilla Approaches Kachin

Clashes have intensified near the Sagaing-Kachin border as the Myanmar military conducts airstrikes and ground offensives to clear the way for a military flotilla heading upstream on the Irrawaddy River to supply bases in Kachin State, according to the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), which is fighting the regime.

The military regime has been indiscriminately bombing and shelling civilian areas along the river in Sagaing Region’s Katha Township and adjacent Shwegu Township in Kachin State for days.

Meanwhile, large numbers of regime forces are conducting raids in four directions in Shwegu Township, including along the river route, sparking intense fighting with the KIA and allied resistance groups, according to locals and the KIA.