08/04/2022 Ethiopia (International Christian Concern) – On Friday, July 29, over 150 members of the al-Qaeda-affiliated extremist group, Al-Shabaab, were killed by Ethiopian forces during a fight near the Somalia border. This battle is the most recent development in the ongoing and complicated conflict in Ethiopia, where the government has tried to tame the rising insurgency while, at the same time, dealing with paramilitary groups in two parts of the country and negotiating a peace treaty in a third region.
Tesfaye Ayalew, an Ethiopian army general, reported the attack to the Ethiopian News Agency, “The terrorist group regrouped its scattered forces (last night) and tried to infiltrate into Ethiopia and carry out (an) attack in the area bordering Somalia with Ethiopia.”
Reportedly, al-Shabaab has attempted, for several years, to set up a base in Ethiopia. Earlier on Friday, July 29, Al-Shabaab claimed that they had killed 103 Ethiopian police and had taken over the town of Aato. An Ethiopian commander rejected these claims by al-Shabaab, saying that 14 Ethiopian fighters were killed and that the town of Aato was still under Ethiopian control.
An Aato resident said al-Shabaab attacked the town with car bombs and mortar shells on Friday morning. The militants later fled, presumably because of air strikes by Ethiopian federal forces, which hit four of al-Shabaab’s vehicles and killed an unknown number of militants. The Ethiopian commander confirmed that an al-Shabaab leader was killed in the attacks.
Please pray for the ongoing conflict in Ethiopia and increased security.
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