The moment to confront the KIA has arrived
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Phyo Lin Aung (NP News) - March 3
The political situation in Myanmar has become relatively stable after the election. However, armed conflicts in northern Myanmar continue to flare up, with the subversive activities of the ethnic armed groups, especially the KIA, further worsening regional instability.
In recent days, the KIA and its allies have been blatantly targeting non-military public buildings and civilian targets. The most notable example was the attack on Myitkyina Airport by a joint group of KIA and PDF insurgents at around 8:12 pm on February 20, 2026, using an FPV suicide drone against a Myanmar National Airlines (MNA) flight preparing to depart from Myitkyina to Mandalay.
The attack on the plane carrying innocent passengers was a targeted attack, but fortunately no one was injured, but the passengers and crew were left in a state of shock. The attack caused extensive damage to the body and tail of the plane. The deliberate attack on a civilian airliner, which is not a military operation, is a blatant war crime under the Geneva Conventions and international law, and is condemned by the entire public with abhorrence.
The KIA's strategy, which previously focused on defensive warfare or territorial control, has now shifted to a war of terror aimed at destroying urban areas and key infrastructure. In addition to the battle for Bhamo, which has been going on for over a year, attacks have also been taking place in the towns of Katha and Tigyaing.
Regarding this expansion of the territory, KIA Vice Chairman 1, Lieutenant General Gun Maw, made an admission via online at the Kachin Revolution Day ceremony held in Texas, USA, on February 8. He described the Bhamo battle as a "battle for political dignity" and said he would continue the fight with a lot of resources. In his speech, he defined 2026 as a year of great change and openly stated that the Kachin, Naga, and Chin units were trying to unite together with the NUG to control the entire north.
As Gun Maw said, violence is also escalating in Chin State. On the morning of February 20, while Union Minister Lt. Gen. Yar Pyae and officials were attending the 78th Chin National Day ceremony held at the Hakha Township General Administration Department, CDF (Hakha) and PDF attacked with FPV suicide drones.
The worst thing is the way the KIA is using Sagaing Region, which is called the "gateway to the home". Gun Maw's statement that "we must wait for the enemy in Sagaing Region" means that the Burmese-majority Sagaing Region will be used as a battlefield and destroyed for the liberation and security of Kachin State. It is also obvious that they are putting the PDFs at the forefront of their political goals and taking the lives and property of the people of Sagaing Region hostage.
What is interesting is that, according to Gun Maw, they are already able to stand up against some foreign forces. “A few months ago, a high-ranking Chinese official asked us at a meeting, ‘Do you think you can defeat the Tatmadaw with the resources you have?’ We asked in return, ‘If we look back at the history of Chinese politics, didn’t the people who were supported by the US and Russia eventually flee to Taiwan and lose, while the side with no support ultimately succeeded?’ They didn’t say anything, because these are the real facts,” he said, indicating that the KIA is not under Chinese influence.
At the same time, it is also questionable whether they have turned their interests to other countries. The KIA/KIO, which has territorial ties with China and sells Kachin State's natural resources to China, is considered by most Myanmar to be a rebel backed by China. In reality, the KIA/KIO has economic ties with China and political ties with the United States. In other words, the KIA is one of the rebel groups that was created by the CIA.
The KIA's bold and open opposition to the government is not a new development, but rather a history of foreign dependence that dates back to World War II. The American OSS (Office of Strategic Services), the predecessor of the CIA, formed a secret operation called Detachment 101 in northern Myanmar in 1942 to mobilize Kachin tribesmen and directly train them in guerrilla warfare, explosives, and intelligence skills under the name "Kachin Rangers." This was the beginning of the establishment of American military influence and organizational ideas among the Kachin armed forces.
The leaders who founded the KIA in 1961 were also military graduates who had served under US training at the time. In particular, individuals such as Zau Tu, one of the founders of the KIA, modeled the KIA's structure, governance, and military standards on Western military models, based on US military assistance and contacts. Throughout the Cold War, the CIA used the KIA as a conduit for covert support for the KMT forces in northern Myanmar, who in turn provided the KIA with military and technical support, cultivating it as their "local foothold".
Today, the CIA’s involvement in the KIA’s drone technology and modern warfare strategies is a consequence of such a long-standing relationship. Some analyst remarked that the US’s provision of money and technology to the KIA under policies such as the Burma Act is a geopolitical game designed to contain China in the region and destabilize Myanmar, rather than promote democracy. Historical evidence therefore proves that any KIA activity is simply a proxy war that prioritizes the interests of its foreign partner, the CIA, over the interests of Kachin State.
Furthermore, the US interest in Kachin State is not solely due to its rare earth mineral resources, but also involves a long-term plan to gain a foothold in a region where China has strong influence, to contain China, and to separate the global rare earth mineral supply chain from China's monopoly.
However, in reality, direct trade with the United States will be very difficult in the short term due to technological and logistical barriers, such as the geographical location of India's export route without going through China, and the fact that rare earth metal refineries are located in China.
On the other hand, the KIA's expectation of support under the Burma Act is not financial, but rather political recognition from the United States, which it hopes to use to gain an advantage in its relations with China and to improve its administrative apparatus technically.
In response to the KIA's challenge to the sovereignty of the Myanmar government, the government must assert control not only militarily but also over the flow of border resources, which is their main source of income, and to decisively counter international interference through diplomatic means. In short, the KIA's strategy of balancing between powerful countries can only be deterred if the government and all relevant parties adopt strategic measures to counter and prevent it. –