The Commander of Eastern Command of the Ethiopian Defense Force, Major General Belay Seyoum has over 300 Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) fighters were killed in the latest fighting last Friday.
40 others were captured, the Ethiopian military said in a statement seen by APA on Monday.
He added that TPLF have been forced to halt their advance in the Afar region which was aimed at controlling the Ethiopia-Djibouti route.
One captive was quoted as saying he was coerced into joining the TPLF while another said they were given one rifle for five fighters.
Major General Baly Seyoum said that the operation in the Eastern Front was effective.
He said “it does not matter if the Junta is controlling this or that place. It does not matter. The point is, is the junta going to come out alive from the places it controlled”.
Meanwhile, the Ethiopian Defense Force last Friday said that it has killed 70 Tigray People’ Liberation Front (TPLF) fighters in Tikur Wuha, close to Woldia city – near where rebel forces fought for several days with the hope of controlling the city.
According to an update released on Friday by the military, the TPLF forces were under the leadership of Brigadier General Kebebe Fekadu, who was himself a member of the Ethiopian Defense Force before he deserted when several bases of the Northern Command were attacked in November 2020.
Several others were also captured in the same front.
19 AK 47, 5 sniper rifles and several group assault guns were seized from the operation, as disclosed by the Ethiopian military.
MG/as/APA