Tigray rebels unveil shoot-down video of Ethiopian Air Force Mi-35 helicopter

Rebels of the Tigray Popular Liberation Front shot down a Mi-35 helicopter of Ethiopian Air Force. The video of the shot down helicopter was posted on YouTube. 

According to TPLF spokesman Getachew Reda, the incident took place on 11 November, Anadolu news agency said.

“Our anti-aircraft units at the front in Mille shot down an Mi-35 attack helicopter this morning,” he said.

This information has not been previously confirmed.

In early November, a state of emergency was implemented in Ethiopia against the backdrop of the confrontation between rebels and government forces. In addition, it became known that TPLF representatives killed more than a hundred residents of the captured town of Kombolcha in northern Ethiopia.

The conflict between the State of Tigray and the central government sparked in northern Ethiopia in November 2020. The conflict was caused by contradictions between the federal and provincial authorities regarding the delineation of powers and the recognition of local elections. During the confrontation, rebels moved to neighbouring states and managed to block a number of transport arteries and take control of several key cities in two regions adjacent to Tigray. By the fall of 2021, government forces, supported by the Amhara militia and Afar special forces, had regained control over most of the cities.