MANDALAY, the second-biggest city in Myanmar, is a scene of violence and chaos as fighting between the military and rebel groups intensified.
The violence forced residents to flee from their homes.
Northern Shan State also witnessed intense clashes despite a four-day unilateral ceasefire.
The first batch of soldiers recruited and trained under Myanmar’s controversial military draft law have been deployed in the country’s remote border areas.
The measure was enforced as the junta suffered heavy losses following years of fighting with various ethnic armies and rebel militias since its 2021 coup d’etat.
Under the new law, men between the ages of 18 and 35 and women between 18 and 27 can be drafted to serve in the armed forces for two years, with each batch trained for three months.
