315:, overrunning the Ethiopian 6th Division's forward headquarters, situated eighty-six kilometers away from Massawa. The operation unfolded along two primary axes: wide outflanking maneuvers commenced along the ridges on both the western and eastern flanks. While one unit swiftly advanced towards Weqiro on the left, the main column surged towards Ghedghed, subsequently dividing into three sections. The right flank maneuvered towards Adi Ile with the aim of outflanking the Ethiopian 6th Infantry Division of the 606th Corps stationed at Adishum, while the left flank directed its course towards Sehatit. After five hours of fighting, the Ethiopian defense line was shattered, and the survivors fled to
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sea, you have no choice but to surrender. Surrender to the EPLF and we will arrange for you to go to whatever country you wish. The EPLF will take responsibility for your welfare. We urge you to release the inhabitants of
Massawa." But General Teshome refused to surrender, tossing aside the letter and vowing to fight till the last man. The next day the EPLF launched a joint and coordinated assault on Tualud, the island was shelled by artillery, tanks and mortars. On the 17th, EPLF armored units was advancing along the causeway towards the island, but the Ethiopians were able to hit them with RPGs, destroying a number of
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defenses and were now storming the city, at this point the government forces were now split into two, one half led by
General Kifle retreated to the naval base and the other half led by General Teshome Tessma fled to Tualud Island. The EPLF then moved to take over the naval base, using land and naval units to capture the base. On the early morning of February 12th, General Kifle and his men surrendered to the EPLF and the naval base had fallen under EPLF control. The commander of the Ethiopian 6th Division, General Teshome, refused to surrender, instead taking hundreds of civilians as hostages.
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of three tanks in War Memory Square near the
Massawa city centre on Taulud Island by the entrance to the causeway to the mainland. In 2004 on the fourteenth anniversary of the battle, Eritrea issued a set of two stamps and a three-stamp minisheet honoring the "Liberation of Massawa". Pictured on the
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On the 14th, to spare the city from more destruction, the EPLF delivered a message to
General Teshome in Tualud via two prisoners of war sent as messengers. The letter, signed by General Kifle, told General Teshome to "surrender peacefully by February 15, 1990. Since no help can reach you by land or
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The battle for
Massawa began on February 10, what followed was the most destructive and violent engagements of the war. EPLF marines in speedboats attacked the naval base early in the morning as a diversion, causing confusion among the defenders. The main EPLF column then overran the Ethiopian
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The defeat was complete, catastrophic, and irreversible. Even the vengeful bombing, which persisted until the end of March and resulted in the destruction of numerous historic
Islamic buildings, could not alter the disastrous outcome.
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319:. The EPLF mechanized and armored units pursued them. The Ethiopian 18th Infantry Division and two mechanized brigades were dispatched from Asmara to rescue them, but the EPLF repulsed them and forced them to retreat to
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Out of the 17,000 Ethiopian soldiers in the city, more than 8,000 were captured and 9,000 were killed. Whereas only 3,000 EPLF fighters were killed during
Operation Fenkil.
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After the loss of
Massawa, the Ethiopians continued their aerial bombardment of the city, the civilian population was hardest hit. Notable of this bombardment was that
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Operation Fenkil commenced during the night of
February 8, 1990, when highly agile and effectively coordinated EPLF forces initiated their offensive from
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Hearing Before the
International Taskforce of the Select Committee on Hunger House of Representatives (101st Congress, 2nd Session)
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323:. Two days later Dogali had fallen to the EPLF and the 606th Corps were now trapped in the city of Massawa.
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A Guide to Intra-state Wars: An Examination of Civil, Regional, and Intercommunal Wars, 1816-2014
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40c was the tank memorial with fountain, on the 50c was a speedboat (gunboat) with soldiers.
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553:"The Red Sea, Suez Canal, Egypt to Aden, Yemen - Nov - March 2005"
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and resulted in the destruction of the Ethiopian 606th Corps.
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291:) took place in 1990 in and around the coastal city of
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The Ethiopian Revolution: War in the Horn of Africa
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The Ethiopian Revolution: War in the Horn of Africa
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The Ethiopian Revolution: War in the Horn of Africa
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The Ethiopian Revolution: War in the Horn of Africa
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27:1990 battle of the Eritrean War of Independence
633:"Things to do in Massawa: St Mariam Cathedral"
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695:Battles of the Eritrean War of Independence
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578:. Eclipse Printing Press. p. 297.
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453:. Eclipse Printing Press. p. 294.
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661:Scott Standard Postage Stamp Catalogue
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518:"Famine Relief in Ethiopia: An Update"
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166:Casualties and losses
141:Teshome Tessema
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53:February 8–17, 1990
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715:Conflicts in 1990
659:Eritrea #377-379
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86:Belligerents
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243:1st Massawa
689:Categories
558:2006-12-27
538:2006-12-27
399:References
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504:973809792
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382:See also
375:memorial
258:Red Star
153:Strength
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248:Barentu
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348:napalm
321:Ghinda
317:Dogali
313:She'eb
307:Battle
263:Afabet
161:17,000
158:25,000
74:Result
532:(PDF)
521:(PDF)
333:T-55s
233:Nakfa
614:ISBN
590:OCLC
580:ISBN
500:OCLC
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430:OCLC
420:ISBN
350:and
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