Military Tensions Escalate in Kachin-Sagaing Border Area Near Katha

Pajau Media

April 10, 2025

Residents in the Katha region, located along the Kachin-Sagaing border, report that the military junta has significantly increased its military activities in recent days, with heightened troop movements and reinforcements.

Since early April, the military has been airdropping additional forces to its Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) 309 base near Katha while continuing sustained artillery shelling in the area. Observers warn that these developments suggest an imminent escalation of conflict in the region.

"Since the beginning of April, helicopters have made five or six trips to deliver troops, weapons, and supplies. Heavy artillery is also being fired indiscriminately," a local source told Pajau Media. "With the fall of Indaw, everyone is now watching Katha closely. We’re afraid to go anywhere, unsure when fighting might break out."

The town of Indaw, located about 18 miles from Katha, was seized on April 7, 2025, after an eight-month offensive led by a joint force of the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), Kachin People's Defense Force (KPDF), and the All Burma Students’ Democratic Front (ABSDF). The assault began on August 16, 2024.

According to regional news outlets, over 100 military personnel who fled the Indaw clashes were later captured in the Katha area.

In a related development, this morning (April 10), the military junta deployed additional troops in two military trucks to Waingmaw in Kachin State, with soldiers seen patrolling key roads in the area.

Despite the junta’s declared temporary ceasefire, military reinforcements and operations in Kachin State have intensified in recent days.

News - Pilan U