Ethiopia: ONLF burns An Ethiopian Army Vehicle , Commander Abdullahi Yassin Says

Commander Abdullahi Yassin

July 12, 2014 (Suna Times) — The Ogaden National Liberation Army’s commander told Qorahay Media that his army burned an Ethiopian military truck, which soldiers were on board in an ambush between Denod and Qorille on Thursday.

Abdullahi Yassin said that the fighting between the Ethiopian soldiers,and the Ogaden Army occurs every time, everywhere in the Ogaden region, and that the number of Liyu Police was reduced in the fight,and now work as guides and interpreters as they know the terrain and the Somali language as well as pointing fingers to individuals that suspected of their family members in the military service of the ONLA.

The Commander accused of Ethiopian soldiers that they have burned civilians in life ,and others suffocated to death after they were placed plastic bags with peppers on their heads by the Ethiopian Army.

“We are not armed to kill Ethiopian civilians, but Ethiopian army is armed to kill our civilians, and that is an evidence of being a state-sponsored terrorism,” added Danab Commander.

Ethiopian soldiers and its allied Liyu Police, have started to cut hundreds of trees that surrounded the streets in order to reduce the ambushes of the Ogaden National liberation Army (ONLA), according a source.

According well-informed Ogadeni journalist and the Chief-Editor of Ogadentoday Press, Mohammed Farah, reported July 10,2014, that ONLA stepped up attacks on Ethiopian troops stationed in Ogaden.
Ogadentoday Press further reported “that almost 150 pro-Ethiopian paramilitary militia under the command of the regional administration has been killed in the attacks”, citing a source close to the regional administration.

Hussein Mohamed Nur, head of ONLF information told reports of Waagacusub media that ONLF has carried out military operations.

“We have killed more than 100 Ethiopian soldiers, and its allied militia of Liyu Police (Hawarin) at Kebri Dahar and Godey,” Hussein Nour said.

The Independent media have banned Ogaden region to verify the ONLF’s recent military victory over Ethiopia, but Ethiopia always dismisses any ONLF military gains and calls ONLA a defeated force.

The Ogaden National Liberation Army has been fighting against Ethiopian soldiers since 1994, and believes that it will accomplish its oil-and-gas rich ogaden independence via a military solution.

Peace-talk between ONLF and Ethiopia stalled in Oct 17, 2012, after the ONLF refused to accept Ethiopian Constitution, which it says the Ethiopian constitution does not concern the Somalis in Ogaden. The kidnappings of two members of ONLF negation team, Sulub Abdi Ahmed and Ali Ahmed Hussein have further complicated diplomatic negotiations between the ONLF and Ethiopia.

Source: Suna Times