Kachin clashes kill 5,000 Tatmadaw soldiers, destroy two helicopters: Janes Defence Weekly

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The heavy fighting that broke out between Kachin Independence Army (KIA) and Myanmar army from mid-2011 until late 2012 killed 5,000 Myanmar army soldiers and destroyed two helicopters, according to a report in Janes Defence Weekly, a military news journal. Author Tony Davis, in a Janes article entitled Hostage to history?, said the Myanmar air force used Mi-35 and K-8 Karakoram fighters in the largest operations launched near Laiza, the headquarters of KIO/KIA, despite objections raised by the international community. But the Myanmar governments air strikes were not generally seen as effective operations, according to data obtained from those close to the KIA. According to statistics on pro-government military blog sites, between June 2011 and the beginning of the Laiza campaign in mid-December 2012, at least 5,000 Tatmadaw troops died in Kachin state. The Laiza campaign and smaller operations since then will have added several hundred fatalities to that toll, the author said. In response to a question raised by The Daily Eleven, a senior officer of the KIO replied that it was true that the casualty rate of the Myanmar army could be up to 5,000 soldiers and the KIA could have about 1,000 casualties. Davis pointed out that operation commanders for the Tatmadaw felt like infantry forces stuck with heavy weapons used 20 years ago, and this could be confirmed by studying the operations launched against the KIA. In both new fixed-wing and rotary-wing capabilities, regional analysts note that a lack of pilot experience and weaknesses in maintenance and ground-to-air links still limit the operational effectiveness of the [Myanmar Air Force], Davis wrote in the article. The Myanmar air force used K-8s, G-4s, and Mi-35s in its ground-attack operations in Laiza from December 2012 to January 2013, according to the audio-visual aids. If the government fails to reach a nationwide ceasefire, the army would be likely to try to weaken the ethnic armed groups financially. As the government has won

clashes with the Kayin and Kachin, it would be likely to use this strategy in facing the United Wa State Army (UWSA), according to the authors report. The article said such casualty rates and ineffective use of air power raised questions over whether the Myanmar army would have the capability to take on the UWSA, the countrys largest and best armed insurgent group, which numbers around 20,000 fighterstwice the size of the KIAs armed forces. According to the report of the KIA, there were 2,400 clashes between the Tatmadaw and the KIA from 2012 June to December that year. The governments report said that there were about 1,095 clashes. The KIO released a report saying that Myanmar had suffered losses of 5,000. But the government announced that the clashes caused the death of 35 soldiers and injured 190. There were more than 150,000 IDPs due to the clashes. Although Eleven Media tried to make contact with the Ministry of Defence and presidential spokesperson Ye Htut on the issue, all efforts were in vain.

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Army Lost 2 Helicopters, Suffered Heavy Personnel Losses in Past Kachin Offensive: Report

RANGOON Two Burma Army helicopters and possibly one aircraft were shot down by the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) during the heavy fighting in the mountains of northern Burma in 2012 and early 2013, according to a recent report by IHS Janes Defence. The UK publication, which specializes in military and defense industry issues, also cited blogs that claimed the Burma Army suffered a staggering death toll of 5,000 casualties during the conflict. In a recent article, the magazine stated, At least two helicopters and possibly one fixed-wing aircraft were lost to ground fire or mechanical failure during the operations to encircle the KIA headquarters in Laiza, located in a mountain valley on the Burma-China border.

In January 2013, the Associated Press reported that the KIA claimed to have shot down a Mi-35, a Russian-made military transport helicopter with attacking capabilities. Presidential spokesman Ye Htut said at the time that the helicopter had made an an emergency landing during which two pilots and a sergeant were killed. Burma expert Bertil Lintner, who has written several books on the countrys ethnic conflict, said, I believe the helicopter was shot down by a 50 calibre sniper gun, a heavy machine gun. A very lucky shot, adding that the rifle had probably been supplied to the KIA by the United Wa State Army (UWSA). Janes Defence asserted that the Kachin conflict, which erupted in mid-2011 after a 17-year ceasefire collapsed, had been one of the largest military operations the Burma Army had ever carried out and the problems in using its aircraft and helicopters showcased the limits of its modernizing and expanding air force. In both new fixed-wing and rotary-wing capabilities, regional analysts note that a lack of pilot experience and weaknesses in maintenance and groundto-air links still limit the operational effectiveness of the [Myanmar Air Force], the magazine wrote. These assessments appeared to be borne out in the Laiza campaign from December 2012 to January 2013, when [Myanmar Air Force] ground-attack operations involving K-8s, G-4s, and Mi-35s were filmed for the first time by independent media, the report said. The magazine went on to cite unnamed blogs that have reported that the Kachin offensive had led to the deaths of thousands of Burma Army soldiers between 2011 and February 2013, when the fighting finally quieted down.

According to statistics on pro-government military blog sites, between June 2011 and the beginning of the Laiza campaign in mid-December 2012, at least 5,000 Tatmadaw troops died in Kachin state. The Laiza campaign and smaller operations since then will have added several hundred fatalities to that toll, the magazine said. KIA sources have confirmed to The Irrawaddy in unofficial comments that the Burma Army had suffered very heavy losses. We estimate the casualty rate could be between 1,000 and 5,000 soldiers, a senior KIA commander told a reporter during a visit to Laiza in November. They suffered a great number of causalities, but we dont want to disclose it as it might raise tensions between us and the government army, while we are in the peace process. Lintner said of the death toll estimate, It is hard to say, just that casualties were extremely heavy on the governments side. A photo and video journalist who covered the fighting along the frontline in Kachin State has said he witnessed piles of bodies of Burma Army soldiers and porters that were forced to carry military equipment and supplies for the military. Jane Defence said such casualty rates and ineffectual use of air power raised questions over whether Burma Army would have the capability to take on the UWSA, the countrys largest and best armed insurgent group, which numbers around 20,000 fighterstwice the size of the KIAs armed forces. There is little to suggest today that the Tatmadaw is yet capable of the strategic co-ordination and tactical flexibility that war with the UWSA would demand, according to Janes Defence. It added that the Burma Army would have to resort to a strategy centered on efforts to divide and

reduce insurgent foes with economic and financial inducements if it would want to expand its control over the Wa. An official at Karen National Liberation Army (KNLA), told The Irrawaddy recently that UWSA commanders were well aware of the strength of their defensive position in Special Region 5 northern Shan State. The Wa officials told us that the Burmese government army might lose 50,000 of its soldiers if they try to take over their headquarters in Panghsang, said the KNLA officer, who asked for anonymity as he was not authorized to speak about the UWSA military affairs.

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