The last remaining military council battalion in the northern Shan city of Thibaw was finally eliminated today, allowing the TLNA to capture the entire city of Thibaw. The TLNA had been attacking Thibaw, located south of Lashio, since August, when it captured Lashio. Since the military council troops were confined to a small area of the city, it was thought that they would be easily captured. Initially, the three remaining military council battalions in Thibaw discussed leaving the city. However, the rebels demanded that they take both their men and weapons with them, and the negotiations failed and fighting continued. The rebels stubbornly resisted, and Thibaw took more than two months to capture. It took even longer than Lashio. With the capture of the city, the revolutionary forces now have complete control of the entire trade route from Pyin Oo Lwin to Muse on the Chinese border.
