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KACHIN STATE – Kachin military news sources reported that the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) has gained major control of Momauk and Mansi Towns.
It is said that KIA captured Mansi Police Station on May 7 afternoon and has also entered the town of Momauk.
“It can be said that Momauk Township and Mansi Township are now under control (of KIA). Only the military base is left to be captured in Momauk. It’s the same in Mansi,” said the military source.
However, another military source said that the situation is such that KIA and joint revolutionary forces have captured the two towns.
Regarding KIA controlling Momauk, a Momauk resident currently sheltering in Bhamo commented, “Last night (May 6), (revolutionary forces) attacked the junta forces in Momauk. They didn’t have to exert much effort as there were very few civilians left in the town.”
Another resident and two more military sources also confirmed that KIA has captured Momauk.
“The only junta camps that are left to be captured are in the town, not the camps surrounding the town. Only the locations stationed by them (junta forces). The junta forces are using civilians as shields while KIA is taking the safety of the civilians into consideration. That’s the situation. But the camps around the camps have been captured. For example, in Bhamo, only the town is not captured. The other (camps) are captured and the pressure is on the junta council,” said a Kachin military source.
Battle broke out between KIA and junta forces in Momauk on April 22. While intense clashes were taking place on the ground, junta battalions based in Bhamo fired heavy artillery shells which landed on civilian houses and killed a child, a woman and a young man. After that, the junta forces used civilians as shields and took station at several government offices in the town, and KIA paused the assault.
A large of the residents then fled to Bhamo and KIA relaunched an offensive on May 7 morning and seized control of the town.
According to additional military sources, revolutionary forces captured Mansi Police Station and Manyut Camp located between Bhamo and Mansi on May 7 around 12:30 p.m.
In addition, it is said that KIA also captured two junta camps in Waingmaw and the checkpoint at Sinkhan Bridge crossing the Ayeyarwaddy River in Bhamo Township on May 7 morning.
As that bridge connects Bhamo to Mansi, Kathar, Ngaoh, Mabein and Shwegu Towns, the military source commented that it is nothing short of an achievement of the revolutionary forces surrounding Bhamo.