Eritrea says its forces have killed 10 Ethiopian soldiers during clashes in a border town.
The Eritrean Information Ministry says soldiers from Ethiopia's TPLF party launched successive attacks on the town of Zalambesa January 1. It says the soldiers were driven back, with 10 killed, two others captured, and the loss of some weapons and equipment.
There has been no independent confirmation of the report. The TPLF is the dominant party in Ethiopia's ruling coalition.
Reuters news agency quotes an Ethiopian official, Bereket Simon, as saying Eritrea is trying to deflect attention from an internal crisis.
Two Eritrean rebel groups say they killed 25 Eritrean government soldiers Friday in ambushes on two military camps. Eritrea has not responded to those allegations.
Ethiopia and Eritrea fought a border war from 1998 to 2000, and tensions between the countries remain high.
Zalambesa was the scene of heavy fighting during the war. A post-war boundary commission awarded the town to Ethiopia.
