By Staff Reporter
November 10, 2020 (Ezega.com) -- Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said the military operation in Ethiopia's Tigray region is nearing an end after his forces claimed they have killed more than 500 troops of the Tigray People Liberation Front (TPLF) in heavy fighting.
Abiy said military operations against the TPLF were "proceeding as planned and coming within reach of goal" as the African Union called for an immediate ceasefire and thousands fled the violence into neighboring Sudan.
The Ethiopian Defense Force said it has killed 550 troops of the Tigray People Liberation Front (TPLF) on Tuesday in a battlefield in west of Tigray.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the defense force said it has seized 115 Kalashnikovs, 11 machine guns, 8 RPGs , 152 bombs, two snipers, 4 M-14 and other heavy weapons.
29 members of the Tigray special force also surrendered to the national army during the heavy fighting, the national defense force said in a statement.
The defense force said it also captured 21,650 bullets of Kalashnikovs, 14,730 bullets for machine guns besides recovering five tanks that were taken by the “enemy force” in Dansha battlefield in west Tigray.
"Operations will cease as soon as the criminal junta is disarmed, legitimate administration in the region restored, and fugitives apprehended & brought to justice -- all of them rapidly coming within reach," he posted on Twitter.
Moussa Faki Mahamat, chairman of the African Union Commission on Tuesday said the fighting must stop and said urgent dialogue was needed.
Appealing for "the immediate cessation of hostilities", he urged the two sides "to respect human rights and ensure the protection of civilians", offering the full support of the 55-member bloc.
In a briefing on Tuesday, Lieutenant General Bacha Debele announced the troops of rebel Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) are also fighting along with TPLF forces in the northern Tigray region.
Lieutenant-General Bacha said members of the North Command Regiment were killed in horrific way by Tigryan speaking members of the regiment and the TPLF junta threw Martyred members of the brigade naked and their bodies are eaten by wild animals.
He said members of the regiment who were armed with modern weaponry fought to the last minute but few survived. TPLF junta released some of members of the regiment naked to the Eritrean border where they were given clothes and military uniforms by members of the Eritrean army.
There is no information from the opposing side in Tigray as internet and communication blackout still continue.
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