A powerful ethnic armed group in western Myanmar is claiming to have scored a major victory in the war against the ruling military, even as neighboring nations at a meeting in Thailand were discussing efforts to end the conflict peacefully.

Ethnic minority insurgents captured a major military base in western Myanmar on Friday after months of fighting, the group said, the latest major setback for the junta that seized power in 2021. The Arakan Army (AA) took complete control of the military’s Western Command headquarters in the town of Ann, in Rakhine state, the group said.

A Myanmar ethnic rebel group has captured a military regional command in Rakhine state, it said, in what would be a major blow to the junta. The Arakan Army had "completely captured" the western regional command at Ann on Friday after weeks of fighting,