Ethnic Kachin rebels in northern Myanmar have been forced to withdraw from a fortified outpost on the Chinese border after coming under heavy artillery fire.
The Hka Ya hilltop was the last line of defence before the Kachin capital of Laiza, where the rebels are headquartered. It is not clear whether government forces will now advance on the town.
The Kachin Independence Army has been fighting for greater autonomy for 50 years.
The army had been trying to take Hka Ya for more than a week. A BBC correspondent said the attacks were backed by heavy artillery barrages.
The army advance means government troops are now 3km away from Laiza, with no more lines of defence in front of them.
President Thein Sein has previously promised that troops will not take the town, but the BBC correspondent said Kachin people are reluctant to believe him.
A truce between the government and the rebels ended in June 2011 after 17 years.
Thousands of civilians displaced by the fighting are reported to be preparing to flee across the border with China.
