{FOREIGN ZONE} ~ETHIOPIAN SOLDIERS MISTAKENLY KILLED NINE CIVILIANS
Ethiopian soldiers killed nine civilians and injured 12 after mistaking them for rebels near a town along the country’ s border with Kenya , state media said .
The soldiers were deployed to the Moyale area of the country’ s Oromiya region in pursuit of Oromo Liberation Front fighters who had crossed into Ethiopia from three locations, the Ethiopian News Agency said .
“ Nine civilians were killed and 12 others were injured during an operation that was launched with faulty intelligence, ” members of the armed forces told the agency .
Several soldiers have been suspended and are under investigation, it said , adding that a high - level military delegation had been dispatched to the area to launch an inquiry.
The Oromo Liberation Front is a secessionist group which the government has branded as the terrorist.
The incident took place at a time when outbreaks of violence have continued to plague the country , mostly in Oromiya .
In February , Addis Ababa imposed a six- month, nationwide state of emergency to tamp down unrest in Africa ’ s second most populous nation .
The move was made a day after Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn announced his resignation in what he said was a bid to smooth the way for reforms .
His replacement is expected to be named this month.
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