Ethiopian planes bomb Asmara airport

Four Ethiopian MiG-23s attacked Asmara airport on Monday, firing rockets and dropping cluster bombs on the airport’s military section, journalists on the scene told IRIN. The full extent of the damage was not immediately clear, but fire engines were seen racing towards the target area. Witnesses said plumes of flame and columns of smoke were rising from several military buildings. Craters could be seen in the tarmac within metres of parked helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, but both the military and the civil runway appeared undamaged. The Eritrean government said two civilians had been injured in the raid, but there were no details of military casualties. Ambulances were seen leaving the scene with sirens blaring. The attack came just as an International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) plane was unloading relief supplies. The plane was not damaged and took off soon afterwards. Two Eritrean MiG-29s immediately took off in pursuit of the Ethiopian planes.

Ethiopia confirmed the air strike saying its “valiant air force successfully targeted Eritrean plane hangars and various military service-providing facilities at the base.” It added that all four planes returned to base after completing the mission.