Ethiopian drones deliver strikes on Eritrean troops in Tigray — TV

NAIROBI, October 9. /TASS/. Ethiopian drones delivered a series of strikes on Eritrean army units that entered the country’s region of Tigray, the Africanews television reported citing independent conflict monitor ACLED and eyewitnesses.

According to ACLED, the attacks occurred in the early hours of October 8 and targeted the city of Adigrat, where Eritrean troops that earlier crossed into Ethiopia were stationed. The drones targeted the Eritrean army’s personnel and military vehicles.

Eyewitnesses said multiple explosions were heard in the Adigrat area. A local resident said several Eritrean military trucks were destroyed. Another eyewitness said he saw military vehicles hit by drones. The third local said Eritrean troops have started to pull back to the north.

Ethiopian and Eritrean governments have not yet commented on the strikes.

Relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea deteriorated in recent months as Addis Ababa accused Asmara of supporting the rebel Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) jointly with Sudan and Egypt - a claim that the three countries strongly rejected. In early October, Ethiopia closed its embassy in Asmara, with Eritrea subsequently announcing that diplomatic ties with its neighbor have been severed.

The Ethiopian government’s remarks about the need to secure reliable access to the Red Sea coast remain an additional source of tension. Earlier, Eritrea’s authorities accused Ethiopia of plotting to put these plans into practice by seizing the port of Assab. Addis Ababa maintains that it plans to resolve the issue peacefully.

Ethiopia lost access to the sea in 1993 after Eritrea declared independence following a referendum. Eritrea was formerly an Italian colony and later a British protectorate. In 1952, it was incorporated into Ethiopia as an autonomous region, but in 1962 Emperor Haile Selassie dissolved the federation and annexed the territory.