A Myanmar town lies in shambles as both sides in civil war vie for control

KYAUKME, Myanmar (AP) — Ten days after it was recaptured by Myanmar's military government, the town of Kyaukme stands eerily silent. Schools have reopened but the town's once-busy market is mostly empty. Vendors at some stalls closed them at the sight of visiting journalists, visibly nervous.

The once-thriving town in Myanmar’s Shan State is in shambles, an Associated Press journalist confirmed on Friday in a rare visit to the war-torn area allowed by the country’s military government.

The army allowed an AP photographer to join a trip organized by pro-military Myanmar media, the only representative of foreign media who was permitted to do so. The military doesn’t allow a free press and bars journalists from entering conflict zones independently.

The journalists saw the charred wreckage of official buildings, such as the courthouse, police station and government housing. Much of the area around the town’s hospital was destroyed, with its operations temporarily shifted to a nearby Chinese temple. At least one of the town's fire engines was burnt out.

Civilian houses seemed to be mostly unscathed, except those near damaged official buildings, but most of the town's original population of 46,000 had fled.

The ethnic militia that previously controlled the town accused the army of causing the damage with airstrikes and heavy weapons, while the government soldiers who took over the town said the militia destroyed structures as it retreated.

Because of its strategic location on a highway connecting central Myanmar to China, Kyaukme has been much fought over. About 115 kilometers (70 miles) northeast of Mandalay, the country’s second-largest city, it has changed hands twice since the army in 2021 ousted the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, setting off the current civil war between the military government and an alliance of militias representing ethnic minorities and pro-democracy activists.

Kyaukme was captured by the Ta’ang National Liberation Army in August 2024, amid a wave of victories by opponents of military rule that left them apparently in control of most of the country's territory. The TNLA is the guerrilla army of the Palaung ethnic minority.

The town fell back into the hands of the military government on Oct. 1 after a three-week battle, in a significant victory for government forces.

The army has mounted a succession of successful offensives in recent months, ahead of elections set for the end of the year. Critics say the polls will be neither free nor fair, but the army hopes that high turnout will help legitimize the vote.

Before attacking Kyaukme, the army in July recaptured the town of Nawnghkio, considered a gateway to Myanmar’s heartland because it sits at the crossroads of Myanmar's eastern hills and its central flatlands.

From there, the 55 kilometers (33 miles) to Kyaukme is flanked by buildings damaged by bombs and bullets, or pummeled into debris.

Army checkpoints manned by newly drafted soldiers stand every 500 to 1,000 meters (yards) along the route. A major bridge was damaged, but remains standing and is under repair.

The authorities blocked journalists' access to some residential areas, which they said were dangerous.

“There are still land mines that haven’t been cleared in parts of the neighborhood,” said Capt. Wai Yan Kyaw, who was stationed at one of the town’s gates.

The journalists saw unexploded ordnance, including a mortar shell sunk into the ground inside the compound of a Buddhist monastery.

Locals who spoke to the AP said that only a small part of the town's population had returned since its recapture.

A resident who had stayed behind during the fighting said that the overwhelming majority fled after fighting broke out last year, and those who stayed, like him, did so because they couldn’t afford to leave. He spoke on condition of anonymity to avoid harassment from the authorities.

Kyaukme is near the front line of the continuing army offensive, with soldiers saying they believe TNLA forces are in the hills just 32 kilometers (20 miles) away.

A motorbike taxi driver in his mid-30s, who also asked not to be named for his own security, said he believed residents would be unwilling to return until the army recaptures more nearby towns.

“People are unwilling to live near the front line,” said the driver, who came back on Tuesday.

In this photo taken during a trip supervised by pro-military Myanmar media, immigration officers check personal data of locals for lost and damaged national registration cards, at a temporary office in Kyaukme, northern Shan State, Myanmar, Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo)

In this photo taken during a trip supervised by pro-military Myanmar media, the damaged Gotwin bridge is seen in Kawnghkio township, northern Shan State, Myanmar, Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo)

In this photo taken during a trip supervised by pro-military Myanmar media, an exploded ordnance lies in the ground in Kyaukme, northern Shan State, Myanmar, Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo)

In this photo taken during a trip supervised by pro-military Myanmar media, locals ride motorbikes in Kyaukme, northern Shan State, Myanmar, Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo)

In this photo taken during a trip supervised by pro-military Myanmar media, a damaged government residence is seen in Kyaukme, northern Shan State, Myanmar, Friday, Oct. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Aung Shine Oo)

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. forces in the Caribbean Sea have seized another sanctioned oil tanker that the Trump administration says has ties to Venezuela, part of a broader U.S. effort to take control of the South American country’s oil.

The U.S. Coast Guard boarded the tanker, named Veronica, early Thursday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem wrote on social media. The ship had previously passed through Venezuelan waters and was operating in defiance of President Donald Trump’s "established quarantine of sanctioned vessels in the Caribbean,” she said.

U.S. Southern Command said Marines and sailors launched from the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford to take part in the operation alongside a Coast Guard tactical team, which Noem said conducted the boarding as in previous raids. The military said the ship was seized “without incident.”

Several U.S. government social media accounts posted brief videos that appeared to show various parts of the ship’s capture. Black-and-white footage showed at least four helicopters approaching the ship before hovering over the deck while armed troops dropped down by rope. At least nine people could be seen on the deck of the ship.

The Veronica is the sixth sanctioned tanker seized by U.S. forces as part of the effort by Trump’s administration to control the production, refining and global distribution of Venezuela’s oil products and the fourth since the U.S. ouster of Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro in a surprise nighttime raid almost two weeks ago.

The Veronica last transmitted its location on Jan. 3 as being at anchor off the coast of Aruba, just north of Venezuela’s main oil terminal. According to the data it transmitted at the time, the ship was partially filled with crude.

Days later, the Veronica became one of at least 16 tankers that left the Venezuelan coast in contravention of the quarantine that U.S. forces have set up to block sanctioned ships, according to Samir Madani, the co-founder of TankerTrackers.com. He said his organization used satellite imagery and surface-level photos to document the ship movements.

The ship is currently listed as flying the flag of Guyana and is considered part of the shadow fleet that moves cargoes of oil in violation of U.S. sanctions.

According to its registration data, the ship also has been known as the Gallileo, owned and managed by a company in Russia. In addition, a tanker with the same registration number previously sailed under the name Pegas and was sanctioned by the Treasury Department for being associated with a Russian company moving cargoes of illicit oil.

As with prior posts about such raids, Noem and the military framed the seizure as part of an effort to enforce the law. Noem argued that the multiple captures show that “there is no outrunning or escaping American justice.”

Speaking to reporters at the White House later Thursday, Noem declined to say how many sanctioned oil tankers the U.S. is tracking or whether the government is keeping tabs on freighters beyond the Caribbean Sea.

“I can’t speak to the specifics of the operation, although we are watching the entire shadow fleet and how they’re moving,” she told reporters.

But other officials in Trump's Republican administration have made clear they see the actions as a way to generate cash as they seek to rebuild Venezuela’s battered oil industry and restore its economy.

Trump met with executives from oil companies last week to discuss his goal of investing $100 billion in Venezuela to repair and upgrade its oil production and distribution. His administration has said it expects to sell at least 30 million to 50 million barrels of sanctioned Venezuelan oil.

Associated Press writer Ben Finley contributed to this report.

This story has been corrected to show the Veronica is the fourth, not the third, tanker seized by U.S. forces since Maduro’s capture and the ship also has been known as the Gallileo, not the Galileo.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks with reporters at the White House, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks during a press conference, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks at a news conference at Harry Reid International Airport, Nov. 22, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Ronda Churchill, File)