Now that the dust has settled, a little more is known about the heavy fighting that has been going on in the remote Somali region of northeast Ethiopia for several days. The state’s spokesman said in a statement on Saturday that a group of jihadist fighters had entered its territory from Somalia on Tuesday and after three days of tracking, they had “been surrounded in a sub-location called Hulhul and completely destroyed”.
He cited more than 100 enemy casualties and the seizure of 13 vehicles. The incursion was aimed at crossing the locality of El-Kere, more than 100 kilometres from the border with Somalia, according to the same source. This operation was preceded by an attack last Thursday on several Ethiopian special forces bases securing the border. The local authorities had estimated the jihadist forces at several hundred fighters and about twenty vehicles.
On Sunday, the governor of Ethiopia’s Somali state triumphantly welcomed his special forces. The few reports from the battle zone indicate casualties on the side of the Ethiopian soldiers, but no casualties have been reported.
This is the first time the Shebabs have entered Ethiopia. Their attacks outside Somali territory until now have tended to target Kenya, such as the Westgate shopping centre in 2013 or Garissa University in 2015.