Museveni passes out 171 UPDF counter terrorism commandos

President Yoweri Museveni who also doubles as Commander in Chief of all armed forces July 23 passed out 171 counter terrorism officers at the School of Military Intelligence and Security in Nakasongola District.

The officers practiced 8 action-packed drills necessary for responding instinctively and without delay to enemy fire while running, crawling, jumping and shooting at targets set at 25 metres, 50 metres and 100 metres, and neutralizing them in seconds.

The drills also included the use of choppers in Very Important Person Protection (VIPP) as well as terrorism and enemy capture in hostage situations.

“It’s a good beginning for you, don’t lose this chance. One element about fighting is to be sure of yourself. I congratulate you upon completing this very difficult course,” Mr Museveni said.

The officers under the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence (CMI) went through training in combating terrorism, violent extremism, cyber threats, politically motivated violence and threats that transcend borders.

The officers were trained in buildup areas in the air and also under very strenuous circumstances using both small arms and heavy weapons at short and long distances.

President Museveni however warned the group against ‘cowboyism’ and directed the trainers to integrate technics in an ideological context.

Uganda has in the past experienced several incidents of urban terrorism in which several high profile persons in the country including AIGP Andrew Felix Kaweesi, ASP Muhammad Kiggundu, Joan Kagezi, Ibrahim Abiriga and Maj Muhammad Kiggundu were shot dead by unknown assailants who sprayed their vehicles with volleys of bullets.

In a similar incident, the former Chief of Defense Forces Gen Katumba Wamala June 1 survived death in a similar fashion by a whisker.

Security has since concluded that an ADF terror cell in Kampala was responsible for all those attacks.

Speaking during the pass out on Friday, President Museveni said such kind of training in counter-terrorism would help equip officers with the necessary tactics to fight urban terrorism.

“These technics are specific to close combat. We don’t want cowboyism here. Technics must be in service of the historic mission of the people of Uganda. It is very good that you are confident of your weapons and when you fire, you hit the target using cover, speed and instinct in the right context,” he said.

Speaking at the function, Military Intelligence chief Maj Gen Abel Kandiho said this is the first intake to be trained exclusively by UPDF’s own professionals.

“It comes at a critical time when the country is facing multifaceted threats of terrorism. We must prepare to effectively deal with this,” he said.

Maj. Gen Kandiho urged government to quickly build a permanent school of military intelligence and security in Nakasongola where they have over 2.5 Square miles of land.

“We already support training for other government agencies like UWA and URA. We are also going to focus on military intelligence and cyber security,” he said.

The Chief of Defense Forces (CDF), Gen Wilson Mbadi said the completion of the training is part of building a professional army that is modern, effective and efficient to contribute to regional peace.

“We urge government to support the UPDF to put the necessary infrastructure for the force since they have capacity for the human resource,” he said.

Gen Mbadi also said the last training course done abroad cost the institution about Shs9bn but noted that the first one conducted by the UPDF itself cost them only Shs920million.

He urged the graduates to remain patriotic and dedicated to their profession.

Of the 171 officers who were passed out, five were women.