ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) -Mekelle, the capital of Tigray region in northern Ethiopia, was hit by an air strike on Wednesday morning, regionally controlled television reported, the second time this week the city has been attacked.
Tigrai Television, controlled by the region’s Tigrayan People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), reported the attack targeted the city centre. It posted photographs of what appeared to be plumes of billlowing smoke, but it was not immediately possible for Reuters to geolocate the photographs.
It was also not immediately possible to reach the Ethiopian government or the TPLF for comment. The two sides have been fighting a war for almost a year that has killed thousands of people and displaced more than 2 million.
The report of a strike comes two days after two air strikes hit the city. Rebellious Tigrayan forces accused the Ethiopian government of launching the strikes. Though a government official initially denied any strikes, state-run media later reported the air force conducted an attack.
The news follows intensified fighting https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/ethiopian-offensive-two-northern-regions-intensifies-tigrayan-forces-say-2021-10-13 in two other Ethiopian regions, where the central government’s military is trying to recover territory taken by the TPLF, which recaptured Mekelle and most of the rest of Tigray several months ago.
(Reporting by Addis Ababa newsroom; Writing by Maggie Fick; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne and Timothy Heritage)
