LAIZA, Kachin State — After more than a year and a half, there is still no end in sight to the conflict in Kachin State. For many, however, even an immediate cessation of hostilities will bring no relief from the horrors of war.

The military hospital in Laiza is full of the casualties of combat, many of whom will never be able to return to the lives they had before. Irrawaddy reporter Steve Tickner visited the hospital recently to document the aftermath of a conflict that continues kill and maim soldiers and civilians every day.