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Tigray claims rocket strikes on Eritrea airport

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ADDIS ABABA: The leader of the Tigray region of Ethiopia on Sunday claimed responsibility for rocket strikes on the airport in neighbouring Eritrea’s capital, a move that ratcheted up fears of a wider conflict in the Horn of Africa region.


Diplomats said on Saturday night that multiple rockets had struck the capital, Asmara, landing near the airport, though communications restrictions in Tigray and Eritrea made the reports difficult to verify.


Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed announced November 4 he had ordered military operations in Tigray in a dramatic escalation of a long-running feud with the region’s ruling party, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF).


“Ethiopian forces are also using the airport of Asmara,” TPLF leader Debretsion Gebremichael said on Sunday, saying this made the airport a “legitimate target” for the strikes.


He added that his forces had also been fighting “16 divisions” of Eritrean forces in recent days “in several fronts”.


The TPLF has previously accused Abiy’s government of enlisting military support from Eritrea, something Ethiopia denies. — AFP


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