KIA Captures Two Pro-Junta Militia Bases in Tanai Township, Kachin State

On April 18, 2026, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) captured two pro-junta militia bases in Tanai Township in the Hukawng Valley area of Kachin State. The captures extend the KIA's operational momentum following the April 2 seizure of six SAC frontline positions near Maw Wan Gyi in Hpakant Township and ongoing fighting in Hpakant through mid-April. Tanai Township is located in the strategic Hukawng Valley, an area rich in jade and amber that the SAC exploits through military-affiliated extraction operations. Pro-junta militias in Kachin State — often former ceasefire group fighters or locally recruited Border Guard Forces — serve as force-multipliers for the SAC in areas where regular Tatmadaw forces are overextended. The KIA's elimination of militia bases in Tanai simultaneously improves KIA freedom of movement in the Hukawng Valley and degrades the junta's intelligence capacity. The captures come days ahead of the April 19 KIA landmine ambush that killed ~40 militia in Hpakant, suggesting a broad KIA offensive push across Kachin State.