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 the visiting journalists, visibly nervous.

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

The local army allowed an AP photographer to join a trip supervised 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.

They saw the charred w

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