Joint Myanmar military column attacked in Kachin’s Indawgyi, captain reported killed
Mizzima
A captain from the Myanmar military junta forces was killed when the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) launched an artillery attack on a joint column consisting of junta troops, the Shanni Nationalities Army (SNA), and local militia members in the Indawgyi region of Kachin State on 28 September, a KIA source told Mizzima.
The joint column, numbering around 250 personnel, was advancing from Nam Mun toward He Par on the morning of 28 September, according to the KIA source.
“I think they are testing our strength with their newly recruited militia members,” the KIA source said.
Following the KIA’s heavy weapons attack, the joint military column retreated, carrying away the bodies of those killed, the source added.
The source also said the column included militia members who had recently completed military training at the Kachin Baptist Convention (KBC) church compound in Nam Mun, and that some of these militia members were also among the casualties.
Mizzima has not been able to independently verify these reports.
Photos and video footage have recently emerged showing the Shanni Nationalities Army (SNA) holding a military training graduation ceremony inside the KBC church compound in Nam Mun. KIA spokesperson Colonel Naw Bu has publicly condemned the ceremony, saying the use of a church compound for military training was inappropriate and could inflame religious tensions.
Locals reported that the church compound is being used as a military training site while residents are displaced due to the conflict.
In early February, joint KIA forces captured several junta and SNA outposts near He Par and Lonton villages.
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