In a rebel-held Myanmar town, fragile unity pushes junta to the brink

Soldiers from the Karen National Liberation Army prepare to patrol Myawaddy. - Reuters

MYAWADDY: Myawaddy, a critical trading post in Myanmar that rebel forces seized from the ruling junta last week, offers a glimpse of dynamics playing out across the country as its vaunted military reels from battlefield losses.

At the border town's outskirts, the site of the most intense fighting, abandoned homes sat next to buildings pockmarked with bullet holes, gas stations damaged by blasts and structures flattened by airstrikes, Reuters reporters saw on a visit this week.