Ethiopian army says 272 rebels killed in Amhara assault

The Ethiopian army said Thursday that it had killed 272 Tigrayan rebel fighters who a day earlier had launched an offensive in Amhara, the country's second-most populous region.

Long-standing tensions between the government and authorities in the northern Tigray state spilled into open conflict on Wednesday, as Tigrayan rebels launched attacks into neighbouring Afar and Amhara regions.

The Ethiopian National Defence Force said in a statement on Facebook that forces of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) attacked several areas of North Wollo Zone, an area of Amhara that borders Tigray.

"Government forces launched a counter-offensive that inflicted heavy personnel and equipment losses on the TPLF," the army statement said, adding that the rebels suffered heavy casualties including "272 were killed and 260 were wounded".

AFP could not independently verify the figures and no casualties were given for the federal forces or civilians.

Separately, AFP received reports of fighting in Lalibela, also in North Wollo Zone, which is home to Ethiopia's famed medieval rock churches and are UNESCO World Heritage sites.

The area has often been targeted by the Fano, a local armed group, that is now operating alongside the TPLF.

A foreign security source based in Ethiopia told AFP that flights had been suspended at Lalibela's airport.