Madar (Addis Ababa) - Ethiopia's rebel Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) claimed on Monday, November 2, 2026, to have inflicted heavy losses on the country's armed forces, Africanews reported, citing agencies.
The TPLF said it killed 500 soldiers, including two regiment commanders, and wounded 800 others in clashes with federal and allied forces in the north. According to the TPLF-affiliated Dimtsi Weyane television station, the fighting took place during a counteroffensive on Saturday near the historic town of Aksum.
The group also said it captured territory and seized weapons, ammunition, food supplies and medical equipment. It accused federal forces of using artillery and drones in their operations and said telephone and internet services in the area had been disrupted.
The Ethiopian government has not commented on the casualty figures, which could not be independently verified, according to the report.
The clashes follow weeks of escalating fighting in northern Ethiopia. Government troops captured several towns, including the Tigray regional capital Mekelle, in early October, while TPLF fighters have continued to counterattack. Addis Ababa accuses Eritrea of backing armed groups in the region, which Asmara rejects, while Sudan has accused Ethiopia of allowing 70 drone attacks to be launched from its territory between February and October and of supporting the Rapid Support Forces.
