Ethiopian drive in Eritrea fizzles, front leader says

An Ethiopian offensive against rebels in the province of Eritrea has collapsed after 10 days, Issayas Afewerki, field commander of the Eritrean People's Liberation Front, said.He said massive infantry assaults, backed by bombing raids and artillery fire, failed to get through the front's positions overlooking the coastal plain near Afabet. The guerrillas counterattacked behind government lines, and the Army fell back to its original positions on the plain, he said. He added that government forces also opened an intense barrage farther north, but there was no infantry advance to follow up.