Ugandan peacekeepers killed in jihadist attack in Somalia

In one of the worst recent attacks by Al-Shabaab jihadists in the war-torn country, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said last week the militants besieged an African Union base in Somalia, killing Ugandan peacekeepers were killed.

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“We have discovered the bodies of 54 dead soldiers, including a commander,” Museveni said in a statement. twitter post late saturday

The president’s office told the AFP news agency on Sunday that he was speaking during a meeting with members of the National Resistance Movement party that runs his government.

The toll is one of the heaviest ever, as pro-government forces backed by AU forces known as ATMIS Last August launched an offensive against al-Shabaab.

It was also a rare admission of a major military death toll. African Union Member.

Al Shabaabwaging a deadly rebellion against SomaliaThe central government, fragile for more than a decade, claimed responsibility for the May 26 attack, saying it overran the base and killed 137 soldiers.

Local residents and a Somali military commander said militants drove an explosives-laden car into the hideout in Bulo Marer, 120 km southwest of the capital Mogadishu, triggering the encounter.

have made ‘mistakes’

Museveni had already said the previous week that “there were some soldiers who did not perform as expected and panicked” as about 800 attackers attacked.

He forced the Qaeda-linked insurgents to retreat to a nearby base some nine kilometers away, condemning them for “missing an opportunity to wipe out”.

“The mistake was made by two commanders, Major Oluka and Major Obbo, who ordered the troops to retreat,” Museveni said on Saturday, saying they would face charges in a court martial.

However, “our troops showed remarkable resilience and reorganized themselves, resulting in the capture of the base”.

ATMIS has not yet disclosed how many people were killed, but said it sent in helicopter gunships as reinforcements after the pre-dawn raid.

United States of america also said that he carried out airstrikes Near the base the day after the attack.

US Africa Command said it had “destroyed weapons and equipment illegally taken by al-Shabaab fighters”, without specifying when or where the weapons were stolen.

(with AFP)

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