Ethiopian crisis: Senior Ethiopian military officer says large fighters of TPLF 'wiped out'
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (PANA) - Ethiopia's Ministry of Defence says that three divisions of the Tigray People's Defence Front (TPLF), which has been battling the federal army in various parts of Amhara region, have been "wiped out".
The state-owned Ethiopian News Agency (ENA) quoted the National Defence Force Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Bacha Debele, as saying on Saturday that the TPLF, which is the main political party in the northern Tigray region, "deployed tens of thousands Tigrayan youth by organising them under four armies to continue its invasion of the neighboring Amhara regional state".
"The terrorist group has suffered huge defeat and the youth of Tigray are being used as cannon fodder," he said.
According to Lieutenant General Bacha, "more than 5,600 terrorists died and over 2,300 wounded. More than 2,000 were captured, he said," adding that most of the fighters did not receive training and were unwilling to fight.
Lieutenant General Bacha said that "in the midst of this war the terrorist group is killing young people in Tigray and committing other inhumane acts".
He also said TPLF has deployed terrorists to attack the Grand Renaissance Dam in western Ethiopia but they were repulsed.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed on 4 November 2020 ordered a military offensive after forces of the regional party, TPLF, attacked a federal army base.
Fighting has sparked massive displacement, widespread destruction of livelihoods and infrastructure, loss of employment and a huge humanitarian crisis.
The Ethiopian government has declared a unilateral humanitarian ceasefire but the TPLF has brushed this aside and its forces have been battling their way into neighbouring Amhara and Afar regions.
-0- PANA MA 5Sept2021
