Rebels Gain Control as Myanmar Troops Retreat Amid Escalating Conflict

Myanmar military personnel retreated to a bridge to Thailand after a days-long assault by anti-junta resistance, which declared control over the critical border town of Myawaddy, marking another rebel win in the ongoing conflict. The military-run government is battling insurgencies on several fronts and has suffered defeats in frontier areas since last October, when rebel groups launched a coordinated offensive near the Chinese border. The impoverished nation has been in turmoil since the 2021 coup, sparking a nationwide armed resistance operating alongside long-established ethnic rebel groups. The retreat of junta troops in Myawaddy signals the potential loss of another key border trading outpost with direct highway access to parts of central Myanmar.