The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Nairobi

Ethiopian rebels on Sunday claimed they had killed at least 140 government troops in an attack in the Ogaden region, where the army is carrying out a crackdown.

The Ogaden National Liberation Front (ONLF) said in a statement that almost 1,000 of its fighters attacked Ethiopian troops near Wardheer early Saturday, killing more than 140 troops, with "many more wounded".

Wardheer is about 650 kilometers (400 miles) southeast of Addis Ababa.

"Thousands of rounds of ammunition and military hardware, including communications equipment, were captured by ONLF forces during the operation," it added.

The army officers were escorting Abay Tsehaye, a senior official in the Ethiopian ruling party, when they came under attack.

"Abay Tsehaye and a few senior officers escaped by helicopter after all land routes out of the area were blocked by ONLF forces," it said.

It was impossible to confirm the claims. Journalists and aid workers are blocked from visiting the area, where the military is battling insurgents.

The rebels said the attack was "a direct response" to the burning of a village, Caado, and "abuses" of people in the Wardheer area by Ethiopian troops, the ONFL said.