Fighting intensifies near Sagaing-Kachin border as resistance forces capture three military outposts

A transport truck burns after being hit by an airstrike near Maw Luu on November 6 (Photo: Supplied) Fighting has intensified near the town of Maw Luu (Mawlu) along the border of Sagaing Region and Kachin State, with ethnic Kachin and allied anti-junta forces capturing three military outposts amid heavy airstrikes, according to local residents and resistance groups. The fighting began November 4, as the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and Kachin People’s Defence Force (PDF) attacked junta positions in the villages of Sipein, Hparpant, and Pinwei, south of Maw Luu. All three outposts were captured in the fighting, a KIA Brigade 8 intelligence officer told Myanmar Now. Dozens of regime troops were killed and 18, including Infantry Battalion 519 soldiers, were taken prisoner, he added. Fighting has since continued south of Maw Luu as junta forces fortify their defensive positions north of the town, according to a member of the Katha District PDF Battalion 2. Some civilians were unable to flee amid the ongoing clashes, he. . . Subscribe for full access Myanmar Now's award-winning journalism is made possible by our subscribers. Become one today. Subscribe now Already a subscriber? Log in