militant group Al-Shabaab reached a mountainous area along the border between Ethiopia’s Somali and Oromia regions, VOA reported on Tuesday.
Citing Ethiopian officials and a diplomat, VOA report suggested that between 50 and 100 Al-Shabaab militants managed to enter mountainous areas close to the town of El-kari near Ethiopian Somali region’s border with Oromia.
Authorities of Ethiopia’s Somali region earlier claimed that they had crushed an Al-Shabaab incursion to their territory. Al-Shabaab has not yet commented on its alleged invasion of Ethiopia.
In response to the attacks, Ethiopia has deployed thousands of fresh troops into Somalia in an attempt to prevent further Al-Shabaab incursions. In a comment on the recent developments, President of the Ethiopian Somali region vowed that they would capture parts of Somalia to create a “security buffer zone”.
According to the Voice of America, clashes between Al-Shabaab insurgents and Ethiopian troops in the Somali region have continued until late last week.
