KIA-Led Coalition Drone Attacks Hit Myanmar Junta-Controlled Offices in Hpakant

A resistance coalition led by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) launched separate drone strikes on a government administrative complex and an electricity distribution facility in Kachin State’s jade-mining hub of Hpakant, leaving at least one person dead and others injured, according to local sources.

The first attack occurred around 1:30 p.m. on October 7, when drone-dropped munitions struck a combined government office in Hpakant during a meeting between Township General Administration Department officials, civil society representatives, and mining company executives.

"I heard that one representative died in the attack on the combined office," a resident familiar with the matter said, adding that the regional military commander had ordered stakeholders to attend and was initially scheduled to be present. The meeting was reportedly convened to discuss repairs to the Kamaing-Namya-Hpakant road.

Reports circulating on social media indicated that an executive from the Kachin National Development and Progress Company (KNDPC), a local jade mining firm, was killed in the strike. Independent verification of the casualties remains ongoing.

Earlier that morning, at approximately 9:30 a.m., KIA-led forces carried out a separate drone bombardment targeting an electricity distribution office in Htweisangyang Village, located in Hpakant’s Nammahpyit Village Tract.

Residents said junta troops had been garrisoned at the power facility for nearly a year, while civilian utility staff were no longer stationed there.

Attempts to reach spokesperson for the KIA and its political wing, the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), for comment were unsuccessful.

Military tensions in Hpakant remain elevated, marked by frequent drone strikes and artillery exchanges. On October 5, indiscriminate shelling by junta forces stationed in Lone Khin Village wounded several civilians, according to residents.

Junta forces have since heightened security and instituted strict searches at checkpoints across Hpakant Township, fueling growing anxiety among residents amid the volatile security environment.