Confrontations continue between Eritrea, Ethiopia

Eritrean said on Wednesday that fierce battles are still taking place between Eritrean and Ethiopian forces in a vast area of the western front of the borders between the two countries.

Eritria's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement sent to ArabicNews.com said "Intense fighting involving mechanized and infantry units of both sides continued the whole day today on the Mereb-Setit front. Ethiopia also used fighter planes. Incomplete reports establish that 31 Ethiopian tanks were destroyed while three tanks have been captured. An Ethiopian MI-24 helicopter gunship was shot down by Eritrea's air defense units and crashed behind Eritrean defense lines. The latest found of intense fighting on the Mereb-Setit front was launched by Ethiopia yesterday. Fighting is still continuing."

For her part, the spokeswoman for the Ethiopian government, Saloumi Tadisi, denied news reports which said that Ethiopian tanks were destroyed and described these reports as "fabricated."

Border disputes between Asmara and Addis Ababa resumed on February 6 in Padmi district following a period of 8 months of calm.