Air raids, conscripts and China: How Myanmar’s military is regaining ground

The rebel fighters who abandoned Falam in Myanmar in April said they gave up the strategic border town near India only after running out of bullets.The fighters had endured a six-month assault by Myanmar’s military, including more than 2,500 air strikes and a ground assault by roughly 1,000 troops. The fall of the town, which had been under opposition control for a year, marked a strategic victory for the military: Falam is home to the only airport in Chin State and commands a trade route to the Indian border.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Malaysia to return 1,500 Rohingya refugees next month, despite safety fearslist 2 of 4Cambodia’s claim to have ended scam compounds met with scepticismlist 3 of 4Myanmar military bombing kills 14 at Buddhist monastery, opposition reportslist 4 of 4Why Rohingya refugees are protesting in Cox’s Bazar, 9 years after genocideend of listWithin weeks, three more towns in Chin had fallen, and by late May, the military was claiming control of the entire northern part of the state.“Falam taught us an important lesson,” said Salai William Chin, a member of the Chin Brotherhood, part of an alliance of rebels that held Falam. “Capturing a town...