Woyanne claims it killed top rebel leaders in eastern Ethiopia

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (ST) — The regime of Tigrean People Liberation Front (Woyanne) in Ethiopia on Thursday said that its forces has destroyed OLF (Oromo liberation Front) and ONLF (Ogaden National Liberation Front) rebels who were regrouping in the southeastern part Ethiopia.

A statement released by the ministry of defense says that Woyanne forces in a military mission carried out during the past few days have killed and captured undisclosed number of top military leaders and fighters of the OLF and ONLF.

Among those killed includes Dr. Mohamed Serri, an ONLF leader who led the attack at a Chinese-run oil exploration site in the Ogaden region in 2007 that left 74 people dead, including 9 Chinese, according to the Woyanne statement.

Furgasa, OLF military chief in Ethiopia’s south east and central committee of OLF is also the key person among those captured, according to the Woyanne regime statement, which states that he admitted that he has been carrying out direct orders coming by phone from the OLF headquarters in Eritrea.

During the military mission a number of weapons, satellite phones, video cassettes and documents are seized, the statement added.

By Tesfa-alem Tekle

(ST)