Ethiopia forces, Tigrayan rebels battle over key town

Reports of rebels capturing  Kombolcha came a day after they claimed control of Dessie and if confirmed, it would mark a major advance by the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) in the nearly year-long war.

Much of northern Ethiopia is under a communications blackout and access for journalists is restricted, making battlefield claims difficult to independently verify.

Kombolcha residents described non-stop gunfire overnight and into the early hours on Monday, with some saying they heard what appeared to be an airstrike on the town's outskirts around midnight.

"The night was filled with many gunshots," said Mohammed, who like other locals declined to share his last name for safety reasons.

"I heard an air strike past midnight outside Kombolcha borders," he added.

Hamdiu, a shopkeeper in Kombolcha, said he too heard what sounded like an air strike around midnight.

"Huge gunshots were heard until (this) morning", he said, with the rebels locked in combat with federal troops and local militias.

Over the past two weeks, Ethiopia's government has carried out a string of aerial bombardments in Tigray.

But so far no bombings have targeted the Amhara region, where Kombolcha and Dessie are located, with a government spokeswoman on Monday said : "There were no airstrikes in Kombolcha overnight."

Control of the skies, along with superior manpower, is one of the few remaining areas where the government holds a military advantage over the rebels.