Gunmen kill 20 TPLF soldiers in Arba Minch, South Ethiopia

Ethiopian rebels belonging to the largest rebel coalition in East Africa, the United Movement for the Salvation of Ethiopia through Democracy (UMSED).

By ESAT

Reliable sources said gunmen killed 20 government soldiers in a surprise attack in Arba Minch, south Ethiopia. The sources also said the deceased include the regional commander of the army.

Several number of soldiers have also sustained serious injuries in the shootout that lasted for hours. The injured have been admitted to the hospital, the sources said.

The Ethiopian government said in a statement that it had arrested gunmen who were bent on launching an attack in Arba Minch. The statement said the gunmen had slipped through Moyale, a town on the border with Kenya. The gunmen had come from neighboring Eritrea, the Ethiopian government said, adding that some of the gunmen had been killed.

ESAT’s sources however said the gunmen have left the area once they carried out the attack. Government forces arrested several people in the town whom they suspect had links to the gunmen.

Residents of Arba Minch believe the gunmen were soldiers from Patriotic Ginbot 7, an armed group opposing the regime. The group had so far made no official statement regarding the attack.

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