The Somali Islamist militant group, al-Shabaab, has launched an attack on the town of Aato on the Ethiopian border for the second time in just over a week.
A senior Ethiopian security official told the BBC that fighting broke out early on Friday between the militants and a combined force of Ethiopian federal soldiers and troops from the Somali region.
The official said there were casualties on both sides.
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Last week, the al-Qaeda-linked group said it had killed dozens of Ethiopian security forces during cross border raids.
Officials in Addis Ababa said in response close to 200 al-Shabab fighters were killed.
Meanwhile, in an apparent response to the historic drought that has become a serious threat to millions of lives in the Horn of Africa, the United States, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is providing at least $105 million in key humanitarian aid to bring immediate relief to the most vulnerable people.
Africa Daily News, New York reports that the region is currently in the midst of a fourth consecutive failed rainy season with worsening drought conditions increasing the likelihood of famine for hundreds of thousands of people in the Horn of Africa.
A fifth rainy season is forecast to be drier than average, further leaving the livelihoods for families who depend on crops and livestock for food to survive devastated. As a result, more than 16 million people need immediate humanitarian assistance. The number is expected to rise to unprecedented levels, with up to 20 million people in need of urgent assistance by September.
This additional funding will enable USAID partners to provide lifesaving food assistance, support for health and nutrition services, and access to clean water. The funding also supports protection activities, such as safe spaces and case management for women and girls displaced by drought.
