MEKELLE, Ethiopia (AP) — Eritrean soldiers entered two towns in northern Ethiopia, a commander allied with Ethiopia’s government said, with military officers conducting surveillance in one of them, as residents reported that Tigrayan opposition forces had withdrawn from Shire.
Ermiyas Ababu, a Tigray Peace Force commander based in Mekelle, said Eritrean personnel entered Adigrat on Tuesday and Idaga Hamus on Wednesday. He said Eritrean military officers and commanders were conducting surveillance in Idaga Hamus, citing reports from his personnel in the area.
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Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed speaks during a session of the Ethiopian Parliament in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. (Ethiopian Prime Minster's Office via AP)
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed raises his hand as he is sworn in during a session of the Ethiopian Parliament in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. (Ethiopian Prime Minster's Office via AP)
Tigray Peace Force fighters stand in a road after entering Mekelle, in Ethiopia's Tigray region, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Filmon Equar Hailu)
Tigray Peace Force fighters stand beside an ambulance after entering Mekelle, in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Filmon Equar Hailu)
Tigray Peace Force fighters stand in a road after entering Mekelle, in Ethiopia's Tigray region, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Filmon Equar Hailu)
Separately, conflict monitoring group ACLED said Eritrean troops crossed the border at Zelambesa on Wednesday and Ethiopian military drones targeted them at Guada as they traveled toward Idaga Hamus.
The Associated Press could not independently verify either account. ACLED, which provided its account through East Africa analyst Jalale Getachew Birru, had not responded Thursday morning to an inquiry about the basis for its claims.
The allegations come amid renewed fighting between Ethiopian government forces and an opposition alliance that includes the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, or TPLF.
Eritrean Information Minister Yemane Gebremeskel accused Ethiopia on Wednesday of fabricating allegations to justify military action against his country. In a post on X, he accused Ethiopia’s ruling party of creating “a fallacious narrative of ‘self-defense.’” He did not specifically address the movements or strikes described by ACLED.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed reiterated Monday that his landlocked country must have access to the Red Sea. Ethiopia lost its coastline when Eritrea became independent in 1993. Ethiopia’s Foreign Ministry said Monday that it remained committed to dialogue and peaceful engagement with its neighbors.
Eritrea has denied Ethiopia’s allegations that it supports the TPLF. Last week, it announced it was severing diplomatic ties after Ethiopia expelled 10 Eritrean diplomats and closed its embassy in Asmara.
In Shire, residents Mesu’ud Ahmed and Abadi Halefom told the AP by telephone Wednesday evening that they had witnessed TPLF forces withdrawing earlier that day. Government troops and allied forces had not entered when they spoke, Mesu’ud said.
Shire has been a major refuge for people displaced by fighting in Tigray and a base for humanitarian aid operations.
“TPLF left but the government forces and their allies did not enter the town but we hear that they are coming,” Mesu’ud said. “Everyone has closed their shops in Shire, and moved their merchandise for fear of looting.”
Government-allied fighters entered Mekelle, Tigray’s regional capital, on Sunday after the TPLF announced its withdrawal. The Tigray Peace Force imposed a curfew there Wednesday from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m.
The force includes former members of the TPLF’s armed wing. Ermiyas said Tuesday that it was working with Ethiopian federal troops to expand its control.
The TPLF joined six other opposition groups last month in an alliance seeking to oust Abiy. Fighting escalated late last month, undermining the November 2022 peace agreement that ended a devastating two-year war.
Filmon Equar Hailu in Mekelle and Amir Aman Kiyaro in Hamburg, Germany, contributed to this report.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed speaks during a session of the Ethiopian Parliament in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. (Ethiopian Prime Minster's Office via AP)
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed raises his hand as he is sworn in during a session of the Ethiopian Parliament in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Monday, Oct. 5, 2026. (Ethiopian Prime Minster's Office via AP)
Tigray Peace Force fighters stand in a road after entering Mekelle, in Ethiopia's Tigray region, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Filmon Equar Hailu)
Tigray Peace Force fighters stand beside an ambulance after entering Mekelle, in Ethiopia’s Tigray region, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Filmon Equar Hailu)
Tigray Peace Force fighters stand in a road after entering Mekelle, in Ethiopia's Tigray region, Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Filmon Equar Hailu)
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Although outfielder Garrett Mitchell gracefully accepted congratulations for robbing Manny Machado of a tying home run late in the Milwaukee Brewers’ Division Series-clinching victory, he clearly wasn’t all that impressed with himself.
To Mitchell, that dramatic play was just the predictable result of the same daily preparation and meticulous execution that made Milwaukee the majors’ best team throughout the regular season — and which has now sent the Brewers roaring back to the National League Championship Series.
Mitchell tripled and scored the tiebreaking run in the fifth inning before making a pivotal catch on Machado’s drive to the wall in the eighth, and the Brewers finished off the San Diego Padres with a 3-1 victory Wednesday night, winning their best-of-five series in four games.
When Machado stepped to the plate, Mitchell was already shaded to right-center, thanks to the Brewers’ scouting report. He coolly tracked the 406-foot fly off the bat, and he already knew the wall was quite short in that part of Petco Park, so he realized he would only need to reach up to catch the ball.
“I think we have a different type of confidence and belief in ourselves together as a team,” Mitchell said. “It’s just like a quiet, subtle confidence. It’s not showboaty. It's just that everyone believes.”
The Brewers pride themselves on being ready to handle anything — even something wild enough to silence a roaring sellout crowd in San Diego during the heat of October.
“Just got a good jump off the bat," Mitchell said amid the Brewers' beer-drenched postgame celebration in the visitors' clubhouse. "When I got to the wall, I just had to stay composed and make the catch. I didn’t really have to jump. I knew the wall isn’t as high as at other fields.”
Mitchell also drove in Sal Frelick with Milwaukee’s first run as the Brewers snapped their 12-game postseason road losing streak since 2018 and reached the team's fifth League Championship Series.
“Just so proud of these guys,” Frelick said. “After the first (loss in Game 3), it really starts to creep in that you don’t want to go back for a Game 5. Really proud of these guys for stepping up today and getting the job done.”
After fending off the surging Padres in four tight games decided by a combined five runs, the 103-win Brewers will get an NLCS rematch with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who eliminated Atlanta on Wednesday.
The Dodgers swept Milwaukee last October on the way to their second consecutive World Series title.
“Why wouldn't you want another chance to go at it (with the Dodgers) after the way it happened last year?” asked Mitchell, an Orange County native and UCLA product. “I don't think that's any more pressure on us. It's just ... let's see what we can do.”
One night after the Padres avoided elimination in Game 3, Milwaukee claimed its first road playoff win since the 2018 NLCS by sticking to its season-long formula for success.
While four Brewers pitchers combined on a three-hitter and the defense made nearly every big play, Milwaukee’s lineup calmly worked counts, pounded 10 hits through the Padres’ defense and manufactured enough runs to head home smiling.
“After yesterday, the energy in the clubhouse was still good,” Mitchell said. “Nobody was pressing. We were just treating it like another day, treating it like we have nothing to lose. We just had to go out there and play our brand of baseball, and that starts with quality at-bats, getting on base, putting pressure on teams, and we did that today.”
Game 2 hero Jackson Chourio capped his high-impact series by driving in Mitchell to become the Brewers’ career leader in postseason RBIs at just 22 years old. Chourio has 17 RBIs, including six in this series, in 16 playoff games.
Fernando Tatis Jr. hit a 429-foot homer on an otherwise tepid offensive night for the Padres, who repeatedly tested the majors’ best regular-season team before falling short of only the fourth NLCS appearance in team history.
“It was unfortunate, man,” Machado said of his long flyout. “He made a nice play. I should have hit it harder. Two more inches, that ball may have been a homer.”
After sitting below .500 and in 11th place in the NL in late July, San Diego roared into the first wild-card spot and then swept the Cubs in the Wild Card Series last week. The Padres had won 19 of 22 before losing three of four to Milwaukee.
Brewers starter and former Padres draft pick Robert Gasser threw four innings of three-hit ball, but Tatis ended his 1-for-19 skid since San Diego's playoff opener with a long shot to center in the third. It was the longest homer ever hit in the postseason at Petco Park by a San Diego player.
Padres starter Walker Buehler yielded just three hits and a run, but manager Craig Stammen replaced him with Game 1 starter Robbie Ray after William Contreras’ leadoff single in the fourth.
Mitchell then stroked a mild liner perfectly over first base and into the right-field corner leading off the fifth, and he scored on Chourio's single through the drawn-in infield. Chourio surpassed Ryan Braun for the most postseason RBIs in Brewers history.
Jake Bauers singled leading off the sixth and went to third on Cooper Pratt's ground-rule double before scoring on Frelick's sacrifice fly.
After Mitchell’s catch on Machado’s fly, second baseman Brice Turang ended the eighth with an acrobatic catch of Ty France’s tailing popup in foul ground.
The Brewers host the Dodgers in Game 1 on Sunday with ace Jacob Misiorowski almost certainly lined up to start. Milwaukee is four wins from only the second World Series berth in team history.
See AP’s full MLB coverage here
Milwaukee Brewers' Jackson Chourio celebrates with family members after the team defeated the San Diego Padres in Game 4 of baseball's National League Division Series Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Derrick Tuskan)
Milwaukee Brewers players celebrate after the team defeated the San Diego Padres in Game 4 of baseball's National League Division Series Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, in San Diego, to advance to the National League Championship Series. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
San Diego Padres' Manny Machado reacts after he flied out during the eighth inning in Game 4 of baseball's National League Division Series against the Milwaukee Brewers Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Garrett Mitchell catches a ball hit by San Diego Padres' Manny Machado during the eighth inning in Game 4 of baseball's National League Division Series Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Trevor Megill celebrates after getting the final out of Game 4 of baseball's National League Division Series against the San Diego Padres Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Milwaukee Brewers' Garrett Mitchell (5) is greeted by Christian Yelich (22) after scoring on a single by Jackson Chourio during the fifth inning in Game 4 of baseball's National League Division Series against the San Diego Padres Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Derrick Tuskan)
San Diego Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr., right, celebrates his home run with Manny Machado during the third inning in Game 4 of baseball's National League Division Series against the Milwaukee Brewers Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Milwaukee Brewers' Jackson Chourio (11) is congratulated by first base coach Spencer Allen (67) after hitting an RBI single against the San Diego Padres during the fifth inning in Game 4 of baseball's National League Division Series Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
San Diego Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr. flips his bat after hitting a home run against the Milwaukee Brewers during the third inning in Game 4 of baseball's National League Division Series Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
Milwaukee Brewers' Sal Frelick (10) is congratulated by Jackson Chourio after scoring on a single by Garrett Mitchell during the third inning in Game 4 of baseball's National League Division Series against the San Diego Padres Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Derrick Tuskan)
