Ethiopian forces carried out an airstrike on Mekelle, their third on the Tigray regional capital this week, as the government attempts to weaken the Tigrayan forces they’ve been fighting for almost a year.
Spokesman Legesse Tulu told reporters the airstrike targeted a training center for Tigrayan forces. He said the base previously was used by Ethiopian forces in the area.
There was no immediate word on casualties.
War erupted nearly a year ago between Ethiopian troops and the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, which governed Ethiopia for three decades but now rules only the northern Tigray region.
Mekelle has not seen large-scale fighting since June, when Ethiopian forces withdrew from the area and Tigray forces retook control of most of the region. Following that, the conflict continued to spill into the neighboring regions of Amhara and Afar.
Last week, Tigray forces said the Ethiopian military had launched a ground offensive to push them out of Amhara and to recapture territory lost to them several months ago.
U.N. spokesman Farhan Haq told reporters Tuesday that U.N. colleagues “are alarmed at the intensification of the conflict and once again reminded all parties to the conflict of their obligations under international humanitarian law to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure.”
VOA
What is wrong with the battles on the ground? Better yet, did something go wrong with the ground assault? Using bomber jets has a history of resulting in unintended consequences in all previous domestic conflicts in that country. With having no presence inside Tigray how Abiy’s military will conduct pinpoint raids from the air with collateral damage? Folks, Abiy’s top brass have been telling us ‘stories’ all along. The latest news about the ground war is Debre’s troops and Abiy’s soldiers are duking it out at a place called Haik. When I looked at Haik on Google it is only about 28 km from the city of Dessie. This does not tell me that Debre is leading a badly beaten army as we have been told by Bacha and company. Debre has one decisive asset(ammo) in his arsenal. He has a population of more than 5 million who feels besieged and left to die of hunger by everyone in the rest of the country. The youth there will have no 2nd thought about throwing itself into ujuum(raging fire). Abiy side does not seem to have that. You add ‘story’ tellers to that it may not take too long to see it unravel with the speed unseen before. So I say this to that young PM and his ‘talk is cheap’ top brass. Prove me wrong and you better do that pronto!!!
Dear Ittu
One thing we and most of people do not get is the modus operandi of TPLF. If they really did have ground force advantage they would have tried to break the Western front I’m humeral or the Afar front in the east. But they choose the weakest point of military deployment for their advance to abuse literally civilians. They basically are doing what OLA does with innocent civilians in order toake pressure in the government. The ENDF can not spread all the continuum without going thin strategically for back up. That is why they never bark about humera which is the natural corridor to their allies Sudan and Egypt. It is not only that the generals and trainedi military is way behind and swndong children and everyday peasants in the front to make fatigue on the ENDF anhara forces. So it makes sense to oblitarate their command training centers and arms depots. It is even good for Tigreans of all walks as they will get some break from TPLF calls to send their kids to the front. I only miss that the planes should also obliterate all TPLF memorabilia and statues including the symbolic one with th ball. That may wake up Tigreans to raise against TPLF. Another flaw of the EGOV and ENDF is not arming adequately Amahara special forces and Fano fighters. With upgrading their capabilities on fire power ENDF would be able to delegate the Willow issue to them and focus on protecting the humeral front to prevent any more as inflows to Tigray.
Dear SLW,
The way I see it is that Debre and brass will continue to have the advantage of being a guerilla fighting force. They know that from the back of their palms. Their life in it goes back to the 1970’s and 80’s. They are made up of one and only one ethnic group(more than 96% in that region). Abiy’s side does not have such homogeneity. He has a country more than 80 ethnic groups that have been rubbing each other the wrong way thanks to the sinister policy put in place for more than 29 years by Debre’s predecessors. Debre has a population terrorized with the specter of deadly famine. The memory of such horrible calamity is still fresh in the psyche of the citizens there. If this ground warfare drags on without a decisive victory by Abiy’s side it will be a matter of time before battle fatigues sets inside the ENDF. Then that Oromo soldier will just shed his uniform, toss away the weapon and rush back to his village. He will not be alone. He will be joined in his AWOL by the Amharas, Somalis, Afars, Sidamas, Gambelas and the rest. Bacha and Jula can keep on telling ‘stories’ as Bagdad Bob incarnates. So Abiy and his men better come up with a better plan because Debre is poised to be at their gate soon. I pray to be wrong on this assessment I have now.
Subject: “Ethiopian forces carried out an airstrike on the most TPLF’s military strategic bases” October 21, 2021
Humble Reaction
1. Killing of each other is going on as if Human Life is cheap.
2. But then, who is dying? Be honest >>> the almighty up in heaven is looking at you from comfortable location.
3. And where is/are the instigator/s of liquidation of human life? Be honest.
4. Have you noticed? instigators of war never show up when things go wrong
5. Hitler — the World Champion for CRUELTY — was truly the exception >>He took his own Life standing erect.
6. Can one imagine …………………..never mind.
7. OUR DEAR AFRICA — for some mysterious reason — is a perfect enemy of ITSELF.
8. Keep on going with your dazzling > enviable > shining > natural > beautiful SMILE and show those
healthy WHITE TEETH.