At least 15 Ethiopian military officers including two retired generals who had defected from the federal army to the rebel Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) have been killed in the theatre of operation, a statement from the National Defense Forces said on Monday.
The Deployment Department Head of the Defense Force Brigadier General Tesfaye Aylew said those reportedly killed are Major General Ibrahim Abduljelil, Former Logistic Department Head and Brigadier General Gebrekidan Gebremariam, former Indoctrination Head of the defense force, former 10 top and two line military officers who defected from the federal army as well as former assistant police commissioner of the Tigray region.
Seven other TPLF leaders also were arrested including former President and Deputy Presidents of the Tigray Regional State, Abay Weldu and Dr. Abrham Tekeste respectively in what the government called a ‘law enforcement operation’ by the federal government in Mekele.
The latest announcement about those killed and captured comes after the military said on Friday that it had captured Sebhat Nega, a founding member of the TPLF.
On Saturday, he was transferred to the capital Addis Ababa, state TV reported.
The captured former TPLF president, Abay, was president of the region from 2010 to 2018, and replaced by the group’s current leader, Debretsion Gebremichael.
Abay was chairman of the party from 2012 to 2017, and was also succeeded by Debretsion in that position.
Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government declared victory in its conflict with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), a political party that previously governed the province.
MG/as/APA