Eritrean Allegations Attempt to Divert Attention from Defeat: Office

 Addis Ababa, June 22 (ENA)--In a futile attempt to divert attention away from Eritrea’s defeat, the rogue regime in Asmara has accused the Ethiopian military of looting and destroying private property so as to turn the Eritrean people’s focus and anger on Ethiopia, the Office of the Government Spokesperson said here on Thursday.  

 The office said, in addition to the fact that it is not within the nature of the Ethiopian military to loot and steal, the Ethiopian defense forces were under strict instructions to not damage private or civilian property in any way.

 It said, as many outside observers have noted, the Ethiopian army is extremely disciplined.

 Moreover, it said, if the aim of the Ethiopian government had been to cause widespread destruction in Eritrea, the Ethiopian military certainly had the opportunity to do so.

 Following the capture of Barentu on May 18, all of western Eritrea (which represents half of all Eritrean territory) came under the control of the Ethiopian defense forces, which gave them free reign to destroy and demolish whatever they liked, had that been their agenda, it said.

 It should be recalled that the Ethiopian forces were never forced out of the captured Eritrean territories, but voluntarily withdrew following a political decision by the government, it added.

 If Ethiopia’s aim had been to destroy all private and public property, the Ethiopian defense forces wouldn’t have withdrawn as they did, but would have stayed so as to effectively cause more destruction, the office said.

 Moreover, given Ethiopia’s absolute air superiority, the Ethiopian Air Force had the opportunity to bomb at will and completely demolish the entire country, it said.

 But, given this was decidedly not the mission of the Ethiopian military, the Air Force limited its numerous sorties to military targets and carefully avoided attacks on civilian areas, the office said.

It said being military defenseless on the ground and in the air, the Eritrean military was in absolutely no position to stop an all-out attack, had Ethiopia desired to destroy all civilian businesses, personal property and public infrastructure. 

Ironically, although the Issaias regime has accused Ethiopia of causing destruction, it was the Eritrean army that destroyed three of its own bridges between Barentu and Akordat while fleeing from the Ethiopian defense forces, it said. 

"Furthermore, if the Ethiopian military destroyed Tesseney when it captured the town the first time, how is it possible that the same buildings were again demolished when the Ethiopian defense forces withdrew for the second time, as alleged by the Eritrean government?" it said.

 It said clearly, the rogue regime in Asmara is simply trying to deceive the international community, as well as its own people, in its typical manipulative fashion.

 No simple PR gimmicks, however, can divert attention from Eritrea’s humiliating defeat nor hide the fact that Eritrea, as the aggressor party, is responsible for all the material destruction and human life lost as a result of its war of invasion, the office said.  

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