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Kachin Independence Army
Paramilitary group in Myanmar / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Kachin Independence Army (KIA; Kachin: Wunpawng Mungdan Shanglawt Hpyen Dap; Burmese: ကချင်လွတ်လပ်ရေးတပ်မတော်) is a non-state armed group and the military wing of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), a political group of ethnic Kachins in Northern Myanmar (formerly Burma). The Kachins are a coalition of six tribes whose homeland encompasses territory in China's Yunnan, Northeast India and Kachin State in Myanmar.
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Kachin Independence Army | |
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![]() Flag of the Kachin Independence Army | |
Leaders | Gen. N'Ban La[1] Lt. Gen. Gam Shawng[2] |
Dates of operation | 5 February 1961 (1961-02-05) – present |
Headquarters | Laiza (since 2005) Pajau (formerly) |
Active regions | Kachin State, Mandalay Region, Sagaing Region, Shan State, Myanmar Yunnan, China Northeast India China-Myanmar border India-Myanmar border |
Ideology | Kachin nationalism Federalism |
Size | 20,000[3] |
Part of | Kachin Independence Organisation |
Allies | Northern Alliance[4]
Other allies |
Opponents | State opponents
Non-state opponents |
Battles and wars | Internal conflict in Myanmar |
The Kachin Independence Army is funded by the KIO, which raises money through regional taxes and trade in jade, timber and gold. It is armed with a combination of AK-47s, locally-made rifles (such as KA) and some artillery. Kachin Independence Army headquarters are in Laiza, in southern Kachin State near the Chinese border.[8]
In 2009, Thomas Fuller of the New York Times estimated the number of active KIA soldiers at about 4,000.[9] They are divided into five brigades and one mobile brigade. Most are stationed in bases near the Chinese border, in KIO-held strips of territory.[9] In October 2010, KIA commanders said that they had "16,000 regular troops and 10,000 reservists".[10] In May 2012, the group had about 8,000 troops.[11] The Kachin Independence Army members are mostly militants.[12]