Pitched battles were reported Monday near Jijiga between Ethiopian defenders and Somali-backed insurgents trying to
complete their sweep of Ethiopia's Ogaden region.

The Somali-supported Western Somali Liberation Front pulsed Ethiopian reinforcements from Harrar rushing to the aid of
besieged troops in the Jijiga zone 60 miles away.

Jijiga is considered crucial for the WSLF to open the road to Harrar and Diredawa, three cities the insurgents need to insure
their hold on the entire Ogaden region. The WSLF whose aim is to annex the Ogaden to Somalia, claims it controls at least 95
per cent of the thinly populated desert region.

A WSLF communique broadcast from Mogadishu, capital of Somalia, claimed that in fierce fighting since Friday for control of
Jijiga its force killed 1,365 Ethiopian troops and knocked out nine armored personnel carriers, two tanks and one F5A jet.

The plane was the eighth Ethiopian plane the guerrillas claimed they downed in the past seven days. Ethiopia has 32 F5 jets,
eight of the advanced class.

"WSLF forces inflicted heavy damage and repulsee Addis Ababa reinforcement troops coming to the rescue of the Addis
Ababa colonial troops on the Kara Marda mountain range 10 miles west of Jijiga," the WSLF communique said. In describing
the fighting it said WSLF forces laid down mortar barrages and sweeping machine gun fire.

The Ethiopian jets allegedly blasted out of the sky were apparently hit by hand-held SAM7 missiles known to be part of
Somalia's Soviet provided arrsenal. The communique made no mention of aerial dogfights.

Diplomatic sources in Addis Ababa said it was difficult to judge whether the Ethiopian defenders of Jijiga were hurt by
insurgent efforts to cut off supplies sent from the capital and from Assab on the Red Sea.

The 550-mile run from Assab to Addis Ababa and to the Jijiga area was in danger from guerrilla attacks. However some
military convoys were reportedly getting through unscathed.

The diplomatic sources implied a shortage of gasoline existed in the Ethiopian capital at least for private motorists. "Gasoline
stations are open to private vehicles only Saturday for several hours," a diplomat reported from Addis Ababa. "But public
service vehicles appear to be running normally."

The Associated Press (AP)
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