Drone and Air Strikes Hit Two Schools in Alamata, Killing at Least 14

Ethiopian government forces carried out between 15 and 21 drone and air strikes on the southern Tigray town of Alamata beginning around 03:30 local time on Sep 22, 2026, with two of the strikes hitting secondary schools. Alamata Mayor Mogos Shiferaw told the BBC that more than five drones and one fighter jet were involved, and that at least 14 civilians were killed and 22 wounded. He said the schools — which had briefly served as federal military bases during the 2020-2022 war — were unoccupied since the academic year had not yet begun, and accused federal forces of striking them on suspicion they were being used by Tigrayan forces. The Ethiopian government did not immediately comment and the toll could not be independently verified. Tigrayan-aligned forces separately reported taking the Afar town of Abala the same day. The TPLF accused the federal government of launching an 'open invasion' and declared the start of a 'defensive war' in response, setting the stage for the following day's multi-front offensive.