[gallery type="slideshow" ids="107155,107156,107157,107158,107159,107160,107161,107162,107163,107164,107165,107166,107168,107169,107170,107171,107172"] KYAUKME TOWNSHIP, Shan State — The Shan State Army-South (SSA-S) is estimated to command between 6,000 to 8,000 troops. In October last year, the SSA-S, also referred to by its political wing, the Restoration Council of Shan State, was one of eight armed groups that signed the so-called nationwide ceasefire agreement with Naypyidaw. Earlier this month, fighting between the SSA-S and the Ta’ang National Liberation Army (TNLA), which first flared in November, intensified in northern Shan State, displacing thousands of villagers in Kyaukme and Namkham townships. The Irrawaddy’s photographer JPaing recently spent time with SSA-S troops in the villages of Ta San, Nyaung Pin Hla and Nyaung Maung in Kyaukme Township that have been affected by recent fighting.