In northern Myanmar, Kachin rebels claim attacks on army outposts as offensive gathers pace

BANGKOK (AP) — A rebel group in Myanmar’s northern state of Kachin said its troops on Thursday attacked more than 10 army outposts along the main road to the state capital of Myitkyina, increasing the pressure on the military government from pro-democracy resistance forces and ethnic minority armed organizations.

Fierce fighting has been taking place in the area, residents told a human rights group and local media.

A spokesperson for the Kachin Independence Army said the group launched assaults against outposts controlled by the army and army-affiliated militia in several townships and near Laiza, a town on the Chinese border where the KIA has its headquarters. Laiza is about 325 kilometers (200 miles) northeast of Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-biggest city.

The spokesperson, Col. Naw Bu, said the military retaliated with artillery attacks and aerial bombing. Three civilians, including a child living in Laiza town, were killed, he said.

The army is facing its biggest challenge since seizing power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021.

A surprise offensive launched last October by an alliance of armed ethnic organizations captured a large swathe of territory in northeastern Myanmar along the Chinese border. The army has also lost territory in the western state of Rakhine.

Like other minorities in Myanmar, the Kachin people have struggled for decades for greater autonomy from Myanmar’s central government. The troops of the Kachin Independence Army are battle-hardened, making them one of the better-armed rebel groups, capable even of manufacturing some of their own weapons.

The KIA is also on good terms with the armed militias of the pro-democracy movement, known as the People’s Defense Force, that