For the first time, the jihadist group of Somali Shebabs carried out a large-scale attack inside Ethiopian territory. Local authorities confirmed the attack over the weekend, saying the attackers were “ completely destroyed “.
Now that the dust has settled, we know a little more about the heavy fighting that took place in the remote Somali region of northeastern Ethiopia for several days. The state spokesperson said in a statement on Saturday that a group of jihadist fighters entered its territory from Somalia last Tuesday and that after three days of tracking it had “ was encircled in a sub-locality called Hulhul and completely destroyed “.
He mentioned more than a hundred deaths on the side of the enemy and thirteen vehicles seized. The incursion would have aimed to cross the locality of El-Kere, more than 100 kilometers from the border with Somalia, according to the same source. This operation was preceded by the attack, last Thursday, of several bases of the Ethiopian special forces securing the border. The local authorities then estimated the jihadist forces at several hundred fighters and around twenty vehicles.
No balance sheet
On Sunday, the Governor of Ethiopia’s Somali State gave a triumphant welcome to his special forces. The rare information coming from the combat zone mentions casualties on the side of the Ethiopian soldiers, but no assessment has been communicated.
This is the first time that Shebabs have entered Ethiopia. Their attacks outside the Somali territory until then were rather aimed at Kenya, as Westgate Shopping Center in 2013 or the University of Garissa in 2015.