Fighting intensifies as the military launches a renewed offensive near border pillar 30 occupied by KIA in Khaing Lan Phyu

Fighting is continuing fiercely between border pillars (30) and (31) of Myanmar-China, which were occupied by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) in Khaing Lan Phyu Township, Kachin State, according to military sources. The helicopter base located at border pillar (30) in Amatt Paw village, Khaing Lan Phyu Township, and the joint camp of the Myanmar Army and People's Militia were attacked and captured by the KIA and allied forces on September 18. This base, which includes the helicopter field, is an important base primarily used for transporting supplies to military outposts in the border region during the rainy season. "We heard that intense fighting is happening. They say they are being cautious about air routes because the army is losing in various places in Kachin," a Kachin source told the Irrawaddy Times. The Myanmar Army and People's Militia joint forces launched an offensive to recapture the base after losing it, and clashes between the two sides continued to intensify until yesterday, September 23. Currently, contact is frequently occurring between the joint forces of the People's Militia and the army at border pillar (31) and the area around pillar (30), with military tensions escalating on both sides, according to military sources. Furthermore, according to local reports, the Myanmar Army has recruited and brought in over 190 local youths from surrounding villages such as Putao, Machanbaw, and Naungmon to reinforce its troops, and is also conscripting local residents for material transport.