NAYPYITAW, 16 July 2021, (TON): The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) reported heavy clashes in Kachin State’s Hpakant Township morning following an ambush on regime forces the night before.

Col Naw Bu, the KIA’s information officer, said the battle continued through the morning and was expected to get worse amid ongoing tensions.

He told Myanmar Now at around 1 pm “the shooting has calmed down for now, but it hasn’t stopped completely. The situation is still tense.”

He added that no detailed casualty figures for the two sides were available, but confirmed that many local civilians had been injured or displaced by the conflict.

Local media outlets have reported that six civilians from the villages of Hseng Hpayar and Kum Aing Zut, located near the battlefield, were injured by heavy artillery used by military troops stationed in Nam Ya, another village in the area.

There were also reports that residents of Kum Aing Zut had taken shelter in a church in Hseng Hpayar amid fears that the military was about to launch airstrikes.