Ethiopian rebels claim they have killed at least 140 government troops in an attack in the Ogaden region, where the army is carrying out a crackdown.
The Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) said in a statement that almost 1,000 of its fighters attacked Ethiopian troops near Wardheer early Saturday, killing more than 140 of them, with "many more wounded".
Wardheer is about 650 kilometres south-east of Addis Ababa.
The troops were escorting Abay Tsehaye, a senior official in the Ethiopian ruling party, when they came under attack.
"Abay Tsehaye and a few senior officers escaped by helicopter after all land routes out of the area were blocked by ONLF forces," the statement said.
"Thousands of rounds of ammunition and military hardware, including communications equipment, were captured by ONLF forces during the operation," it added.
It was impossible to confirm the claims. Journalists and aid workers are blocked from visiting the area, where the military is battling insurgents.
Government officials were not reachable to comment.
The rebels said the attack was "a direct response" to the burning of a village, Caado, and "abuses" of people in the Wardheer area by Ethiopian troops.
The army launched a crackdown on the region, which is about the same size as Britain and has a population of about four million, following an attack by the ONLF against a Chinese oil venture in April that left 77 people dead.
Last month, a UN fact-finding panel recommended an independent probe into allegations that the army had committed rights abuses during the operation.
The Ethiopian army has flatly rejected the claims, and instead said its campaign is not targeting civilians, but the rebels whom it accuses of carrying out "terrorist" activities. © 2007 Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Comment and add to the story without registration, but keep the comments meaningful please. Links are not accepted.
