ETHIOPIA — Rattle from airstrikes by the Ethiopian military that shook the capital of Ethiopia’s war-torn Tigray region Saturday morning as rebels lobbed Katyusha rockets at the country’s capital.
Hours later, no new attacks were reported, according to the Fana Broadcasting Corporate, an official TV channel for Tigray.
“On Friday, Ethiopian jets struck ammunition warehouses in the rebel-held town of Bishoftu,” said Fana. “Air raids were coordinated with artillery bombardment of rebel positions surrounding Bishoftu town since Friday.”
According to the state-run African News Agency, eight fighters were killed in the attacks.
“This Bishoftu air strike has been confirmed by some sources,” the agency reported. “The raid took place while a group of rebels launched a large-scale attack on Bishoftu town from different directions.”
The Tigray region, which occupies a four-day-old peace deal between Ethiopia and rebel groups, is a fractured area of land in southwestern Ethiopia. Rebels have been entrenched there for decades.
Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed was inaugurated in April, leading Ethiopia’s restructuring. Civilians are now grumbling about Ethiopian airstrikes, including the destruction of power lines that were cut last week, as the region awaits Ethiopian troops to enter the region.
