Aksum:Addis Ababa Ethiopia's Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) has claimed that its fighters killed 500 Ethiopian soldiers and wounded 800 others in recent clashes with federal government forces and allied militias in the northern Tigray region.
According to Anadolu Agency – English, the TPLF reported that the casualties occurred during a battle on Saturday near Aksum, a historic city. The rebel group launched a counteroffensive against Ethiopian troops and the allied Tigray Peace Forces (TPF).
The TPLF-affiliated Dimtsi Weyane television station specified that the fighting took place in the Daero Hafash and May Tmqet areas of Naeder district. The station reported that the TPLF had killed 500 combatants, including two regiment commanders, and seriously wounded another 800. The group also claimed to have captured territory and seized weapons, ammunition, food supplies, and medical equipment.
The broadcaster noted that government troops advanced from Aksum and Mahbere Dego but met resistance from TPLF fighters. The TPLF accused federal forces of using artillery and drones and reported disruptions to telephone and internet services in the area. The Ethiopian government has not commented on the casualty figures, which have not been independently verified.
This development follows weeks of fighting between federal forces and TPLF fighters, raising concerns over a potential large-scale conflict in northern Ethiopia. Government forces and their allies have captured several towns, including Mekelle, Tigray's regional capital, in early October. However, TPLF fighters have continued their counterattacks.
The renewed hostilities have also increased tensions between Ethiopia and neighboring Eritrea, which Ethiopia accuses of supporting armed groups in Tigray. Eritrea has denied these allegations. Meanwhile, Sudan has accused Ethiopia of allowing 70 drone attacks from its territory, causing civilian and military casualties, and of supporting the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has been in conflict with Sudan's army since 2023.
The situation threatens to further destabilize a region already affected by the 2020-2022 Tigray war, which resulted in massive displacement and humanitarian suffering.