The Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and a local branch of the People Defence Force (PDF) have clashed with the Burma Army (BA) in Mongmit Township (aka Moe Meik), an area in northern Shan State where fighting between the Shan State Progress Party (SSPP) and BA has also been ongoing since early July.

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According to a local source who requested anonymity, fighting broke out near Sint Kin and Myo Thit for an hour and a half on the morning of 10 July.

“Both sides fired their rifles and heavy weapons during the clash..I heard that five BA soldiers were wounded, including a senior officer, and that one soldier was killed,” he told SHAN.

One KIA and one PDF soldier were also killed in battle.

SHAN cannot independently confirm these alleged fatalities in the township.

The KIA and the PDF surrounded the junta troops near Myo Thit. The man explained that they were taking up positions on the western bank of the Nam Mit River, while the SSPP was situated on the eastern side. The Ta’ang National Liberation Army also maintains troops in the area.

Locals told SHAN that they often hear gunfire in Mongmit Township but aren’t always sure if they’re from fighting.

State Administration Council leader Min Aung Hlaing invited EAOs, including the SSPP, to so-called peace talks in Naypyidaw. The SSPP agreed to meet the SAC leader, but a meeting hasn’t yet taken place. In the meantime, fighting between the two groups has resumed after the regime ordered the ethnic armed group to withdraw from several of its camps in southern Shan State.