A senior commander of Uganda Battle Group Six has been killed in an attack by the al-Shabaab militants in the Somali capital, Mogadishu. According to military sources, the Lieutenant Colonel was killed on Saturday with five other tank crew members including a Lieutenant. The commander is the highest ranking Ugandan officer to be killed in Somalia. This newspaper withheld the name and other details of the deceased pending army’s notification of the relatives of the deceased, which is expected today.
The Amisom force commander, Maj. Gen. Nathan Mugisha, confirmed the incident last night, saying the colonel was killed while supervising the new areas captured by the Ugandan peacekeepers on Thursday.
“It was a mishap. It’s regrettable,” Gen. Mugisha, who was last night in Kampala after attending the 19th International Contact Group on Somalia conference in Kampala, said. He said the Colonel was killed in Bondhere, where there was intense fighting on Thursday morning.
Warnings from Museveni
The attack comes days after President Museveni warned that Uganda would withdraw its troops from Mogadishu if UN-pushed presidential and parliamentary elections in Somalia spark renewed assault by al-Shabaab militants.
The attack comes days after President Museveni warned that Uganda would withdraw its troops from Mogadishu if UN-pushed presidential and parliamentary elections in Somalia spark renewed assault by al-Shabaab militants.
President Museveni told the conference that the mandate of the Sheik Sharif-led Transitional Federal Government - due to expire in two months - should instead be extended by a year. Gen. Mugisha said they would give details of the attack today.
The UPDF officers were reportedly killed by a mortar fired by the al-Shabaab who are fighting to recapture the areas newly captured by the Ugandan forces.
UPDF soldiers on Thursday captured key strategic areas that have been used by the Somali extremists to supply arms and food to their members.
AMISOM recovers bulldozer from trench system.
AMISOM forces have recovered an armoured bulldozer after it caught fire whilst clearing routes across the insurgents’ trench system during operations in Bondere district yesterday.
Operating right on the front line, armoured bulldozers assist AMISOM forces to repair roads, cut by the Al Qaeda linked extremists, as they push forward and take new ground.
The trenches have been dug by the insurgents to provide protected resupply routes close to AMISOM positions and to prevent AMISOM vehicles from advancing. Some are dug under the road so that armoured vehicles fall through the undisturbed surface unexpectedly. Trench systems can be as long as 1.5kms long, and require engineer expertise to breach. AMISOM are supported by UNMAS in this task.
Yesterday afternoon, as an engineer bulldozer was clearing a route across a trench during operations in Bondere, it was struck and set alight by small arms fire and became trapped in the trench it was clearing. AMISOM deployed troops forward to engage the insurgents and push them back to ease recovery of the vehicle. No tank was damaged or lost.
The bulldozer has been safely recovered and is being serviced for a return to operations.
ENDS
Pictures attached:
UNMAS Engineer bulldozer at work with AMISOM (African Union Mission in Somalia) on the frontline in Mogadishu, Somalia protected by an AMISOM tank.
Open trench dug by extremists across a road in Mogadishu, Somalia
Trench closed by UNMAS engineer bulldozer in Mogadishu, Somalia
--
Paddy Ankunda
Major
AMISOM Force Spokesman
Our troops won’t leave Somalia; Burundi president
AMISOM recovers bulldozer from trench system.
Operating right on the front line, armoured bulldozers assist AMISOM forces to repair roads, cut by the Al Qaeda linked extremists, as they push forward and take new ground.
The trenches have been dug by the insurgents to provide protected resupply routes close to AMISOM positions and to prevent AMISOM vehicles from advancing. Some are dug under the road so that armoured vehicles fall through the undisturbed surface unexpectedly. Trench systems can be as long as 1.5kms long, and require engineer expertise to breach. AMISOM are supported by UNMAS in this task.
Yesterday afternoon, as an engineer bulldozer was clearing a route across a trench during operations in Bondere, it was struck and set alight by small arms fire and became trapped in the trench it was clearing. AMISOM deployed troops forward to engage the insurgents and push them back to ease recovery of the vehicle. No tank was damaged or lost.
The bulldozer has been safely recovered and is being serviced for a return to operations.
ENDS
Pictures attached:
UNMAS Engineer bulldozer at work with AMISOM (African Union Mission in Somalia) on the frontline in Mogadishu, Somalia protected by an AMISOM tank.
Open trench dug by extremists across a road in Mogadishu, Somalia
Trench closed by UNMAS engineer bulldozer in Mogadishu, Somalia
--
Paddy Ankunda
Major
AMISOM Force Spokesman
front line. Real-time war reporting from terror free somalia |
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