Ugandan army kills 30 al-Shabab militants
Ugandan soldiers serving with the AMISOM during patrol. Courtesy photo
What you need to know:
- East African leaders contributing to the 22,000-strong AMISOM force last month called for the United Nations to reconsider plans to withdraw troops by December 2020, saying the timeline was unrealistic and could lead to a reversal of gains.
Four UPDF soldiers under AMISOM have been killed and six others injured in battle which left 30 suspected al-Shabaab militants also dead.
The army says the battled ensued after the suspected al-Shabab terrorists attempted to attack AMISOM Forward Operating Bases at Quoroyole, Buulo Mareer and Golwen in Lower Shabelle Region of Somalia.
Lt. Col Deo Akiiki, the deputy army spokesperson has confirmed the Sunday morning attack and said eight of the vehicles belonging to the terrorists were destroyed.
He said two Vehicle Born Improvised Explosives were also destroyed.
He further noted that four AK Rifless , two Rocket Propelled Guns, two Recoilless Guns, a Walkie Talkie and 18 Sub Machine Gun Rifles were recovered.
Mopping up operation continues.
Ugandan army spokesman Brigadier Richard Karemire wrote on Twitter that 30 Shabaab militants had been killed, while the Islamists claimed in a statement to have killed 59 Ugandan soldiers.
The Al-Qaeda linked Shabaab was pushed out of the Somali capital in 2011 -- and subsequently other towns and cities -- by soldiers from the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).
But the Islamists still hold sway in large parts of the countryside and launch regular gun and bomb attacks on government, military and civilian targets in Mogadishu and ambushes on military convoys and outposts.
East African leaders contributing to the 22,000-strong AMISOM force last month called for the United Nations to reconsider plans to withdraw troops by December 2020, saying the timeline was unrealistic and could lead to a reversal of gains.
