FROM THE DVB NEWSROOM
The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) claims that it and resistance forces captured the China-Burma border town of Loije (Lwegel) in Momauk Township, Kachin State, on Friday. Burma Army troops withdrew from the town following negotiations with the KIA on March 29. They reportedly destroyed weapons before withdrawing and crossing the border.
“I have learned that all of them entered China,” a source in the KIA told DVB. A border gate allowed all Burma Army troops, police and government staff, to cross safely into China with their families. Nine Burma Army outposts along the Loije-Bhamo Road, including the Yaw Yung military base, have been occupied by the KIA and People’s Defense Force (PDF) since March 27. No casualties have been reported.