TPLF Claims 500 Soldiers Killed in Tigray Clashes Near Aksum
(MENAFN) Ethiopia’s rebel Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF) said Monday that its fighters killed 500 soldiers and wounded 800 more in a Saturday battle with federal forces and allied militias in the northern Tigray region. The claims have not been independently verified.
The group said the fighting took place near the historic city of Aksum, where its forces launched a counteroffensive against Ethiopian troops and fighters from the allied Tigray Peace Forces (TPF).
A TPLF-affiliated television station reported that the rebels killed 500 combatants, two regiment commanders among them, and seriously wounded another 800 in the Daero Hafash and May Tmqet areas of Naeder district. The station said government troops pushed forward from Aksum and Mahbere Dego before meeting resistance from TPLF fighters.
The TPLF also said it took territory and seized weapons, ammunition, food supplies and medical equipment. It accused federal forces of relying on artillery and drones, and said telephone and internet services in the area had been disrupted.
The Ethiopian government has not responded to the casualty figures.
The claims come after weeks of combat between federal forces and the TPLF, fueling fears of a return to large-scale war in northern Ethiopia. Government troops and their allies seized several towns, including the regional capital, Mekelle, in early October, but TPLF fighters have kept up counterattacks.
The renewed fighting has also sharpened tensions between Ethiopia and neighboring Eritrea. Addis Ababa accuses Eritrea of backing armed groups in Tigray, an allegation Eritrea has rejected.
Separately, Sudan has accused Ethiopia of permitting 70 drone attacks to be launched from its territory between February and October, killing or wounding hundreds of civilians and soldiers. Khartoum also alleges that Addis Ababa supports the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has fought Sudan’s army since 2023.
The escalation threatens to deepen instability in a region still reeling from the 2020-2022 Tigray war, which displaced millions and caused widespread humanitarian suffering.
The group said the fighting took place near the historic city of Aksum, where its forces launched a counteroffensive against Ethiopian troops and fighters from the allied Tigray Peace Forces (TPF).
A TPLF-affiliated television station reported that the rebels killed 500 combatants, two regiment commanders among them, and seriously wounded another 800 in the Daero Hafash and May Tmqet areas of Naeder district. The station said government troops pushed forward from Aksum and Mahbere Dego before meeting resistance from TPLF fighters.
The TPLF also said it took territory and seized weapons, ammunition, food supplies and medical equipment. It accused federal forces of relying on artillery and drones, and said telephone and internet services in the area had been disrupted.
The Ethiopian government has not responded to the casualty figures.
The claims come after weeks of combat between federal forces and the TPLF, fueling fears of a return to large-scale war in northern Ethiopia. Government troops and their allies seized several towns, including the regional capital, Mekelle, in early October, but TPLF fighters have kept up counterattacks.
The renewed fighting has also sharpened tensions between Ethiopia and neighboring Eritrea. Addis Ababa accuses Eritrea of backing armed groups in Tigray, an allegation Eritrea has rejected.
Separately, Sudan has accused Ethiopia of permitting 70 drone attacks to be launched from its territory between February and October, killing or wounding hundreds of civilians and soldiers. Khartoum also alleges that Addis Ababa supports the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has fought Sudan’s army since 2023.
The escalation threatens to deepen instability in a region still reeling from the 2020-2022 Tigray war, which displaced millions and caused widespread humanitarian suffering.
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