Tigray forces enter town of Shire in Ethiopia's northern Tigray region -witnesses

GONDAR, Ethiopia - Tigrayan forces entered Ethiopia's key northern town of Shire on Tuesday, two eyewitnesses told Reuters, cementing further territorial gains in the northern region of Tigray as the Ethiopian military and its allies pull back.

"Everybody is welcoming them and celebrating. Now there are a lot (of Tigrayan forces) and most of them are in uniform," one resident told Reuters. Both eyewitnesses declined to be named for fear of retaliation.

The prime minister's spokeswoman, the Ethiopian military spokesman and the head of a government taskforce on Tigray did not return messages seeking comment.