Ugandan Army Says It Has Killed 189 Extremists in Somalia

World

January 23rd, 9:00am

Asharq Al-Awsat

Al Shabaab militants sit outside a building during patrol along the streets of Dayniile district in Southern Mogadishu, March 5, 2012. REUTERS/Feisal Omar

Ugandan soldiers working as part of a peacekeeping force in Somalia have killed 189 al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab militants in an attack on one of their camps, the Ugandan army said. Ugandan troops are part of the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia, whose aim is to support the central government and stop al Shabaab's efforts to topple it. The Ugandan People's Defense Force (UPDF) said in a statement that its soldiers on Friday had raided al Shabaab hideouts in the villages of Sigaale, Adimole and Kayitoy, just over 100 km (62 miles) southwest of the capital Mogadishu. "(The raid)... saw the forces put out of action 189 al Qaeda-linked militants and destroyed a number of military hardware and items used by the terrorist attacks," UPDF said. There was no immediate comment from al Shabaab on the attack, Reuters reported. The group controlled most of south-central Somalia until 2011, when it was driven out of Mogadishu by African Union troops. Despite the loss of territory, al Shabaab still carries out major gun and bomb attacks, often claiming casualty numbers that conflict with those given by government officials.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2759736/ugandan-army-says-it-has-killed-189-extremists-somalia