Rebel forces in Ethiopia’s Tigray region have lost two more cities namely Shire and Adigrat as Ethiopian federal troops advance toward Eritrea, according to witnesses.
Residents in Shire town told APA that pro-government forces entered the city on Friday afternoon and met no resistance from retreating rebels.
“People have been coming out to watch them arriving. Shops are closed. To prevent looting, residents have organised themselves in their respective neighbourhoods and are guarding their areas,” one resident said.
The residents confirmed that the rebel fighters and the local administration abandoned the city on Wednesday, and that four people had been killed in exchanges of fire related to looting incidents.
Eritrean forces were seen in Adigrat inside Ethiopia in recent days before being targeted by Ethiopian drone strikes, according to a conflict monitor and witnesses.
The rebels were retreating to Sheraro, a town near the Eritrean border, according to a Tigrayan official from a TPLF dissident faction.
Meanwhile in a sign of renewed government confidence, Ethiopian Airlines said flights to the Tigrayan capital would resume from Sunday.
“Many are defecting and going back to their villages,” he said.
Ethiopia accused its neighbour Eritrea of backing rebels in its northern Tigray state, who launched attacks against federal forces last month.
The two countries severed diplomatic relations last week, and since then, Eritrean forces have invaded Ethiopia, with a foreign security source estimating it has 5,000 to 8,000 troops in Tigray.
Over the past week, the Ethiopian army has pushed back the rebel Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) and seized their capital, Mekelle.
MG/as/APA