Ethiopia's Tigray rebels claim to have inflicted heavy losses on army

Ethiopia's rebel Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) on Monday claimed to have inflicted heavy losses on the country’s armed forces.

It said it killed 500 soldiers, including two regiment commanders, and wounded 800 others during clashes with federal government troops and allied militias in the northern region.

According to the TPLF-affiliated Dimtsi Weyane television station, this took place during a counteroffensive on Saturday near the historic town of Aksum.

The group also claimed to have captured territory and seized weapons, ammunition, food supplies, and medical equipment during the confrontation.

It accused federal forces of using artillery and drones to support their operations and said telephone and internet services had been disrupted in the area.

Ethiopia’s government has not commented on the casualty figures, which could not be independently verified.

The clashes follow weeks of escalating fighting in northern Ethiopia.

Government troops captured several towns, including Tigray's regional capital, Mekelle, in early October, but TPLF fighters have continued mounting counterattacks.

The renewed hostilities have also heightened tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea which Addis Ababa accuses of supporting armed groups operating in the region.

Asmara has rejected the allegations.

Sudan, meanwhile, has accused Ethiopia of allowing 70 drone attacks to be launched from its territory between February and October, killing or wounding hundreds of civilians and soldiers.

The Sudanese authorities also accused Addis Ababa of supporting the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces which has been fighting Sudan's army since 2023.