Security forces in Ethiopia’s Oromia regional state have killed a large number of Oromo Liberation Army (OLA) rebel members, the Government Communication Service announced.

In a statement on Saturday, the Minister of State Communications, Legesse Tulu, said an anti-insurgency operation is underway to eliminate the OLA, which the government declared a terrorist group.

Many “members of the militant group have been killed in the operation,” he said, without revealing the exact number of casualties.

The minister said the military campaign is being carried out in the western and eastern parts of Welega, western and eastern Guji, north, east and west of Shoa, as well as in Borona zone bordering Kenya.

An Oromo opposition official, who spoke to The EastAfrican, confirmed that there is an ongoing military operation in parts of Oromia region.