Makelle: Two Eritrean rebel groups said they killed 11 government soldiers and wounded some 20 others in a coordinated attack on military camps in southern Eritrea.
The groups — the Red Sea Afar Democratic Organisation (RSADO) and the Eritrean National Salvation Front (ENSF) — said in a joint statement that they had briefly taken control of the camps on Thursday and seized weapons and military intelligence.
"The attacks were carried out at 3 o'clock on Thursday morning. We took control of the camps until 6 o'clock ... At least 11 Eritrean military intelligence officers were killed and at least 20 others wounded," they said in the statement issued late on Thursday.
"The camps have been completely destroyed and the Eritrean soldiers based at these camps are in disarray."
Officials from the Eritrean Ministry of Information could not be immediately reached for comment.
Rebels regularly claim they have carried out attacks on soldiers inside Eritrea but those claims are impossible to independently verify amid severe travel restrictions.
Much of the country is off limits to foreign nationals and organisations based in the capital, Asmara.
