Bodies of Eight UPDF Soldiers Killed In Somalia Arrive

Local Editor

Bodies of the eight Ugandan soldiers killed in the Sunday al-Shabaab attacks on Uganda People's Defence Force's (UPDF) camps in Somalia will arrive today (Tuesday) at Entebbe airbase at about 1pm.

The army spokesperson, Brigadier Richard Karemire told Daily Monitor the bodies would be received today afternoon.

"We shall receive the bodies of our fallen comrades today," he said.

President Museveni on Tuesday said that 36 al-Shabaab militants had been killed, while the extremists claimed in a statement to have killed 59 Ugandan soldiers.

In a Tweet, Gen Museveni praised the UPDF soldiers for the spirited fight against the militants, whom he said had six vehicles that were loaded with explosives.

"It is gratifying, however, that the bold but adventurous strategy of al-Shabaab failed. With constant vigilance, victory is assured. I congratulate our soldiers for the good work they did," he said.

He said 36 al-Shabaab attackers were killed in the fight.

Local media quoting sources said a massive blast was heard in the Bulomarer district, around 150 kilometers (93 miles) south of Mogadishu, and fighting broke out after dozens of heavily armed al-Shabaab militants stormed the base.

The Al-Qaeda linked al-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 extremists 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.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team