More than 30 civilians have been killed during fighting between Kachin Independence Army (KIA)-led forces and the military in Hseng Taung (Saitaung) village of Hpakant Township, located 106 miles (170 km) northwest of the Kachin State capital Myitkyina, since Sept. 7.
“The locals are the ones suffering the most from the fighting. In some areas, the bodies are already decomposing. We still cannot retrieve them from the neighborhoods,” a man assisting residents trapped in Saitaung village told DVB.
Clashes are continuing and thousands of Hpakant residents have become displaced from their homes. The fighting began after the military searched for KIA and other resistance forces who were allegedly sheltering at the Lucky Men Hotel in Saitaung village.
An unknown number of people were arrested during the raid. Some of those arrested have already been released, but the military is continuing to occupy the hotel and hold some detainees inside.
“Hotel staff were among those released. We had to collaborate with local aid groups to extract them while bullets were being fired,” an anonymous source in Saitaung village who helped negotiate the release of residents told DVB on the condition of anonymity.
DVB has been unable to confirm the number of residents arrested due to a telecommunications blackout imposed by the military in Hpakant since July.
“I don’t know the exact details [about the release]. The military is still deployed at the Lucky Men Hotel, and the fighting remains intense,” Naw Bu, the KIA spokesperson, told DVB.
An unknown number of homes were destroyed by artillery shells in Saitaung village on Sept. 17. At least 400 homes had already been damaged due to shelling and airstrikes carried out by the military since Sept. 7.
Residents are requesting emergency assistance, according to sources in Saitaung village. Hpakant Township is famed for its jade mines, which serve as a vital source of revenue for both the military and the KIA. It launched an offensive against the military in Kachin State on March 7.
