Fresh Ethiopia airstrikes hit new Tigray targets

By Will Ross

The Ethiopian government says the military has launched air strikes on rebel positions in the north and west of the Tigray region - expanding the range of its aerial bombardments.

Previous air strikes over the last week had all been in the regional capital Mekelle, but these ones hit Adwa and Mai Tsebri.

The government said they had targeted Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) facilities but a number of civilians are reported to have died.

A TPLF spokesperson said no military targets had been hit and suggested missiles had struck buildings already destroyed by Ethiopian and Eritrean forces.

With all phone communication cut off in Tigray it will be hard to verify the outcome of the air strikes - especially as they are in fairly remote areas.

They are also far from where the fiercest fighting has been taking place - in the neighbouring Amhara region.

After nearly a year of conflict between the TPLF and pro-government forces, the UN says seven million people are in need of emergency assistance and more than two million have been displaced.

This article originally appeared on BBC News.

Photo: BBC