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Scars of conflict dot the landscape of Ethiopia's Amhara.

Tire tracks and the blasted remnants of a tank are signs of recent, intense battles in which Ethiopian government soldiers have pushed back forces loyal to the Tigray People's Liberation Front.

And at a church in the town of Nefas Mewcha another grim reminder of the recent bloodshed.

Priest Merigeta Tsefaw Derrese says all those resting in these graves are civilians.

Some were killed as they left church, shot by Tigrayan forces firing out of people's homes - he says.

Others were deaf or physically disabled people who could not move.

A report released on Friday (December 10) by Human Rights Watch also accused Tigrayan forces of summarily executing dozens of civilians in two Amhara towns between August 31 and September 9.

The Tigrayan forces could not be reached for comment, but TPLF spokesman Getachew Reda has previously denied the targeting of civilians in areas under its control.

Last month a joint investigation by the United Nations and the state-appointed Ethiopian Human Rights Commission concluded that all sides had committed violations that may amount to war crimes.

In June, Tigrayan fighters - having recaptured most of Tigray - entered the neighboring Amhara and Afar regions.

They pushed south, so that by the end of November they were fighting near a town 118 miles from Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa.

But the tables have turned.

In recent weeks towns reportedly recaptured by the federal military include Gashena, Dessie, Kombulcha and the UNESCO World Heritage site Lalibela.

Casualty figures have not been released, but soldiers reported heavy losses on both sides.

Amhara regional spokesperson Gizachew Muluneh said the priority is, quote, "to liberate ourselves" and that the Tigrayan forces would be pursued.

"We will not stop our offensive until we have eliminated them," he said. "Eliminate in essence, until they have become no more threat to our existence."