Mandalay’s capture by the British in 1885 ended the last independent Burmese kingdom and its loss now would be a stunning blow to the junta. - PHOTO: AFP
MANDALAY, Myanmar (AFP): On the outskirts of Mandalay, nervous Myanmar soldiers man a checkpoint just kilometres away from rebels who have set their sights on the former royal capital of 1.5 million people.
Ethnic minority rebels and "People's Defence Forces" battling to overturn the junta's 2021 coup are riding the wave of a huge offensive launched a year ago Sunday in the hills of neighbouring Shan state.
