Operation Alula
Operation Alula Aba Nega | |||||||
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Part of Tigray War | |||||||
| |||||||
Belligerents | |||||||
Tigray |
Ethiopia Eritrea | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Units involved | |||||||
Tigray Defense Forces |
Ethiopian divisions:
Eritrean divisions:
| ||||||
Strength | |||||||
80,000[2] | 50,000[3] | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
Unknown |
18,000+ killed (TDF claim)[4] 6,600 captured (TDF claim)[4] 1 Lockheed C-130 Hercules[5] | ||||||
At least 64 civilians killed[6] |
Operation Alula Aba Nega (
Battle
On June 11, the Tigray Defense Forces (TDF) launched a series of offensives against the isolated Ethiopian 11th division in Yechila, forcing it to retreat to Shewate Higum. The TDF simultaneously sent detachments to block Ethiopian reinforcements from rescuing the 11th. The Ethiopian 21st division was dispatched from Mekelle, but was ambushed in Addi Esher near Gijet. Similarly, the 31st division, also sent to the rescue, was intercepted by Tigrayan forces around Agbe.[11]
The Ethiopians attempted to respond with overwhelming force, deploying the 20th, 23rd, 24th and 25th. They advanced from Abiy Addi towards Shewate Higum, but once they moved past Shewate Higum towards Dawsira, they faced an onslaught as nearly all Tigrayan fighters in the region were mobilized and engaged in a series of attacks from all directions against the Ethiopians. Over three days of intense fighting ensured, where the Ethiopian units managed to initially repel the attacks and advance towards Yechila. However, before the Ethiopians reached the town of Yechila, Tigrayan fighters shot down an Ethiopian Air Force Lockheed C-130 Hercules plane carrying vital supplies and ammunition. This boosted the morale of the Tigrayan forces and the Ethiopian units began to falter under intense multipronged Tigrayan attacks. The Ethiopian forces soon began to disintegrate and retreat in disarray back to Mekelle, a Tigrayan detachment was sent to block the A2 highway leading south of Mekelle and captured Wukro, which left a brigade sized Ethiopian force trapped in Negash. On June 28, Tigrayan fighters captured the regional capital Mekelle after the remnants of the Ethiopian army withdrew, the next day Abiy Ahmed declared a "unilateral ceasefire". The TDF paraded thousands of captured Ethiopian soldiers through the streets of Mekelle as crowds cheered. Some Ethiopian units attempted to retreat into the Afar Region, Tigrayan troops caught up with them at Amentila near Abala, inflicting further losses.[5][12]
According to Tigrayan sources, the Eritrean army situated around
References
- ^ a b "Situation Report EEPA HORN No. 171 - 21 June 2021" (PDF). Europe External Programme with Africa.
- ISBN 9781805260639.
- ISBN 9781805260639.
- ^ a b Walsh, Declan (3 July 2021). "'I Didn't Expect to Make It Back Alive': An Interview With Tigray's Leader". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
- ^ ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
- ^ "Calls for inquiry as dozens killed, injured, in Ethiopia market airstrike". France 24. 23 June 2021. Retrieved 30 June 2021.
- ^ Libération, 29 June 2021: «Alula», l’opération militaire qui a soudain fait basculer la guerre au Tigré
- ^ "Situation Report EEPA HORN No. 176 - 29 June 2021" (PDF). Europe External Programme with Africa.
- ^ a b Tronvoll, Kjetil (25 June 2021). "Eritrea's final war?". Ethiopia Insight. Archived from the original on 30 July 2021. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
- ISBN 9781805260639.
- ISBN 9781805260639.
- ^ "Eritrean forces withdraw from key towns in Ethiopia's Tigray". AP NEWS. 29 June 2021. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
- ISBN 9781805260639.