Ethiopia’s rebel Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) claimed Monday that its fighters killed 500 soldiers and wounded 800 others during clashes with federal government forces and allied militias in the country’s northern Tigray region.
The rebel group said the casualties occurred during fighting Saturday near the historic city of Aksum, where its forces launched a counteroffensive against Ethiopian troops and fighters from the allied Tigray Peace Forces (TPF).
According to the TPLF-affiliated Dimtsi Weyane television station, the rebel group killed 500 combatants, including two regiment commanders, and seriously wounded another 800 in the Daero Hafash and May Tmqet areas of Naeder district.
The broadcaster said government troops had advanced from Aksum and Mahbere Dego before encountering resistance from TPLF fighters.