ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - The Ethiopian military plans to use tanks to encircle Mekelle, the capital of northern Tigray region, and is warning civilians it may also use artillery on the city, state media reported on Sunday.


"The next phases are the decisive part of the operation, which is to encircle Mekelle using tanks, finishing the battle on mountainous areas and advancing to the fields,” Colonel Dejene Tsegaye, a military spokesman, told the state-run Ethiopia Broadcasting Corporation.


The military is fighting Tigrayan rebels in the region.


The rebel leaders did not respond to requests for comment.