A source in the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) told DVB that resistance forces have been engaged with regime forces near Lonekhin village of Hpakant Township, Kachin State, on Wednesday. Lonekhin is located seven miles (11 km) northeast of Hpakant town which has been under KIA control since April 2024.
“KIA-led resistance forces intercepted a group that had split from the 600-strong regime column near Namyathna Pagoda, close to Lonekhin,” the source told DVB on the condition of anonymity, adding that the column, which advanced toward Hpakant via the Kamaing road, split into smaller groups to attack resistance forces simultaneously in Lonekhin.
Regime artillery attacks reportedly destroyed an unknown number of homes in Lonekhin and injured an unknown number of civilians. Hpakant is located 94-166 miles (151-267 km) west of the Kachin State capital Myitkyina and the KIA headquarters in Laiza.
A Lonekhin resident told DVB on the condition of anonymity that the Myanmar Air Force provided support to regime troops, making it difficult for resistance forces to stop their advance. The KIA instructed residents from Lelpyin and Lonekhin villages to relocate to Nammahpyit village in Hpakant on Tuesday, the resident added.
In Bhamo Township of southern Kachin, located 214 miles (344 km) southeast of Hpakant and 120 miles (193 km) south of Myitkyina, KIA-led resistance forces seized at least three regime outposts on Tuesday, according to the KIA.
It launched an offensive in southern Kachin on Dec. 4, seizing Mansi Township on Jan. 8. Prior to that it had captured Kanpaikti, a town on the Myanmar-China border in Waingmaw Township, on Nov. 20, as well as the rare-earth mining hub of Pangwa in Chipwi Township on Oct. 19.
The KIA has seized 14 towns in Kachin, as well as Mabein in northern Shan State, since it launched its state-wide offensive against regime forces in March 2024. The regime controls Myitkyina, Mogaung, Mohnyin, Putao, and Waingmaw towns.
