Pro-government forces say they retake airport in Ethiopia's Tigray region

Jerusalem Post/World News"We have taken full control of Mekelle Alula Aba Nega Airport. We are currently clearing the city of Mekelle," the pro-government Tigray Peace Forces militia posted on X late on Friday.Follow us on GoogleMembers of the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) walk along a main road in Mekelle on September 23, 2026, as tensions intensify in northern Ethiopia after Tigrayan rebels seized control of airports in the region.(photo credit: AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES)OCTOBER 3, 2026 10:27A militia group allied to Ethiopia's federal government said they had recaptured the main airport in the capital of the northern Tigray region, an opposition stronghold."We have taken full control of Mekelle Alula Aba Nega Airport. We are currently clearing the city of Mekelle," the pro-government Tigray Peace Forces militia posted on X late on Friday.Reuters could not immediately verify the assertion. The Prime Minister's Office did not respond immediately to a request for comment.The taking of Mekelle by pro-government forces would be a major setback for an opposition alliance led by the region's ruling party, the Tigray People's Liberation Front, which launched a big offensive last week against the Ethiopian military.Vehicles carrying armed men drive along a street in Alamata, Ethiopia, after a pro-government militia said that Ethiopia's military and allied militiamen had captured the town, in this screengrab from a social media video released on September 28, 2026. (credit: Social Media/via REUTERS)Tigray fighting raises fears of wider regional conflictThe TPLF could not immediately be reached for comment.Ethiopian federal forces and allied fighters have made a quick counterattack into Tigray, but analysts say the fighting — the worst escalation since a 2020-2022 civil war — threatens to widen into a wider regional conflict.Follow us on Google