Myanmar confirms that a key northeastern city near China has been seized by an armed ethnic alliance

By GRANT PECK
Associated Press

BANGKOK (AP) — Myanmar’s military government has acknowledged that it withdrew its forces from a key city on the northeastern border with China after it was taken over by an alliance of ethnic armed groups it has been battling for months. The Three Brotherhood Alliance took control of Laukkaing late Thursday after forces from Myanmar’s military government laid down their arms and were allowed to withdraw, both sides said Saturday. Photos and videos on social media showed a vast amount of weapons that the alliance claimed to have captured.The capture of the city was one of the main goals of the alliance’s offensive, launched on Oct. 27.