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October 21, 2024
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4 minute read
Myanmar fighting escalates around key rare earth mining sites
In recent days, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA), part of an allied rebel group fighting the junta for territory and autonomy since the 2021 coup kicked off, took control of the No. 1002 Border Guard Force Battalion located around 16 kilometers (10 miles) from Panwa, a rare earth mining center and key border crossing into China.
Fighting in the region has centered on control of the area’s rare earth and gem mining sites, as well as key trade routes into Myitkyina (Kachin state’s capital) and north into China.
