MANDALAY, Myanmar — On the outskirts of Mandalay, nervous Myanmar soldiers man a checkpoint just kilometers away from rebels who have set their sights on the former royal capital of 1.5 million people.
Ethnic minority rebels and "People's Defense Forces" battling to overturn the junta's Feb. 1, 2021 coup are riding the wave of a huge offensive launched a year ago on Sunday in the hills of neighboring Shan state.