View source for Kachin Defense Army

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2016}}
{{infobox war faction
|name = Kachin Defense Army
|native_name = ကချင်ကာကွယ်ရေးတပ်ဖွဲ့
|native_name_lang = my
|war = the [[Internal conflict in Myanmar]]
|image =
|caption =
|active= {{Start date|1961}}–{{End date|2010|01}}
|leaders = Mahtu Naw<ref name="BurmaNet">{{cite news|title=Burmanet » Kachin News Group: KDA transformed to militia groups by Burma junta|url=http://www.burmanet.org/news/2010/01/21/kachin-news-group-kda-transformed-to-militia-groups-by-burma-junta/|accessdate=22 January 2016|work=www.burmanet.org|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160127191218/http://www.burmanet.org/news/2010/01/21/kachin-news-group-kda-transformed-to-militia-groups-by-burma-junta/|archive-date=27 January 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|ideology = [[Kachin people|Kachin nationalism]]
|predecessor = {{flagicon image|Kachin Independence Army flag.svg}} [[Kachin Independence Army]]
|headquarters = [[Kawnghka]], [[Shan State]]
|area = [[Shan State]]
|size = 1,500<ref name="BurmaNet" />
|allies = {{flagicon|Myanmar}} [[Government of Myanmar]]
* {{flagicon image|Flag of the Myanmar Armed Forces.svg}} [[Tatmadaw]]
|opponents = {{flagicon image|Flag of Myanmar (1974-2010).svg}} [[State Peace and Development Council|Union of Myanmar]] (until 2011)<br>
{{flagicon image|Flag of Myanmar (1974-2010).svg}} [[Burmese Way to Socialism|Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma]] (until 1988)<br>
{{flagicon image|Flag of Burma (1948-1974).svg}} [[Post-independence Burma, 1948–62|Union of Burma]] (until 1962)
|battles = [[Internal conflict in Myanmar]]
* [[Kachin conflict]]
|website =
}}

The '''Kachin Defense Army''' ({{lang-my|ကချင်ကာကွယ်ရေးတပ်ဖွဲ့}}; [[Abbreviation|abbreviated]] '''KDA''') was an armed [[Insurgency|insurgent group]] that operated in northern [[Shan State]], [[Myanmar]], until its conversion into a [[Border Guard Forces|border guard force]] in January 2010.<ref name="BurmaNet" />

==History==
The KDA was formerly the 4th brigade of the [[Kachin Independence Army]] (KIA), until it split from its parent organisation, the [[Kachin Independence Organisation]] (KIO), and moved their headquarters to [[Kawnghka]], [[Kutkai Township]], [[Shan State]].<ref name="BurmaNet" /> After the [[Mong Tai Army]] disbanded, the KDA gained some of their abandoned territory.<ref>{{cite web|title=Kachin Defense Army|url=http://fas.org/irp/world/para/kachin.htm|website=fas.org}}</ref>

In 2010, the KDA accepted a proposal by the [[State Peace and Development Council]], the then governing body of Myanmar, to transform into a "border guard force". The proposal was intended to bring security to local [[Kachin people]] under the KDA's governing, but instead led to the disarmament of 1,500 KDA members. The KDA surrendered their heavy weapons and mortars to the Northeastern Regional Command, in accordance to the "conversion process". The group was also split into two smaller factions, with 100 members in each group.<ref name="BurmaNet" />

==See also==
* [[Kachin Independence Organisation]]
* [[Kachin Independence Army]]
* [[New Democratic Army - Kachin]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Insurgent groups in Myanmar}}

[[Category:Rebel groups in Myanmar]]
[[Category:History of Myanmar]]
[[Category:Politics of Myanmar]]
[[Category:Paramilitary organisations based in Myanmar]]
[[Category:Kachin people]]


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