Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said Friday that military operations launched in the northern Tigray region had clear and limited objectives, as concern mounts over the prospect of a prolonged war in the country. "Operations by federal defence forces underway in northern Ethiopia have clear, limited and achievable objectives -- to restore the rule of law and the constitutional order, and to safeguard the rights of Ethiopians to lead a peaceful life wherever they are in the country," Abiy wrote on Twitter. fb/np/wdb