FILE - A soldier from the United Wa State Army is seen on a street of Nandeng in the Wa region of Myanmar, Sept. 3, 2009. Recently renewed combat in northeastern Myanmar between troops of the military government and ethnic minority militias has in the past few days become more complicated, as two minority groups not previously involved in the fighting stepped into the fray, claiming to act as a third force for stability. (AP Photo, File)
FILE - In this handout photo provided by Mandalay People's Defence Force, members of the Ta'ang National Liberation Army, one of the ethnic armed forces in the Brotherhood Alliance, and the Mandalay People's Defence Force pose for a photograph in front of the captured building of the Myanmar War Veterans' Organization in Nawnghkio township in Shan state, Myanmar, June 26, 2024. Recently renewed combat in northeastern Myanmar between troops of the military government and ethnic minority militias has in the past few days become more complicated, as two minority groups not previously involved in the fighting stepped into the fray, claiming to act as a third force for stability. (Mandalay People's Defence Force via AP, File)