They are the work of evil and extremist forces who unfortunately continue to live among us.We pray to the Lord almighty to give the relatives of the deceased and those who were injured, the strength and serenity they need to cope with their losses.We must, at the same time, remain firm and not give in to these evil and extremist forces, however insurmountable the consequences may seem. Anything to the contrary would otherwise hand victory to these forces and make the world more unsafe than ever before.The al-Shabaab, who have claimed responsibility for the attack in Kampala, are one of such extremist and violent groups operating in the midst of our region in Somalia and are attempting to capture power there. They are allied to al-Qaeda forces fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan and share the same ideologyThey harass, intimidate and bomb the population in order to suppress them into compliance with their extremism. A multitude of brutal and terror tactics have been applied to this end. They include amputation of limbs, summary executions, desecration of burial sites, forced marriages, recruitment, abductions, assassinations, and suicide bombing.In one such suicide bombing on December 3, 2009, the al-Shabaab attacked a graduation ceremony of medical students from Banadir University at Shamo Hotel in Mogadishu, killing 24 people and wounding 60 others. Many of those killed were new medical graduates, in a country with a dire need for qualified medical practitioners.The Transitional Federal Government of Somalia (TFG) and AMISOM continue to stand in the way of the extremist forces and they have grown increasingly desperate. Between June 25 and July 1, the al-Shabaab mounted a sustained assault on TFG and AMISOM position at KM0 in Mogadishu and attempted to overrun it. They were repulsed with severe losses on their side.KM0 is a key terrain overlooking the Presidential Villa and sea port which would have put the two strategic areas in direct line of hostile fire. On April 27, a truck laden with explosives and drums of petrol attempted to penetrate this position.Fortunately, our ever vigilant soldiers managed to stop it in time with a rocket propelled grenade and it exploded with a devastating ball of fire, critically injuring three of our brave soldiers. Three suicide bombers in the truck also perished.Licking their wounds from the great losses incurred in succession, a desperate suicide attack was always on the card only that few would have suspected it to be so far away from the frontline.Understandably so, out of a deep frustration after this latest attack, some voices in Uganda are now calling on the Government to withdraw UPDF from Somalia.Our people should know that this growing extremism in our midst is like a cancer which must be checked while still in infancy, to stop it gaining further ground. The good news is that this is possible.In a nutshell, the terrorist attack in Kampala should justify why the African Union Mission in Somalia should be strengthened further, perhaps with even a greater sense of urgency.Otherwise there is no guarantee that those who do not contribute troops for Somalia will be immune to future terrorist attacks. Uganda has suffered similar attacks before in the late 1990s and early 2000s. UPDF was not in Somalia at the time.The writer is the spokesman of Ugandan troops in Somalia.
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