President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni has expressed concern over an attack by Al-Shabaab militants on Ugandan soldiers stationed in South of Mogadishu in Bulo-Mareer, Somalia in statement on social media.
Highlighting the incident, the President called for swift action and emphasized the need for proper preparedness in combat missions.
“In the night of Thursday, at the 11th hour of the night and ten minutes (what the Europeans call 5.30am of Friday), we had an unfortunate incident in Somalia where our force has operated successfully, ever since 2007,” President Museveni stated.
The forward operational base (FOB) manned by Ugandan soldiers was overrun by Al-Shabaab, resulting in the destruction of equipment.
He revealed that some soldiers panicked during the attack, causing disorganization. However, the President highlighted that the panic was unnecessary as the soldiers had already neutralized the threat.
“Both the anti-tank ditch and our soldiers had destroyed the 3 vehicles of explosives outside the FOB. The suicide bombers or whatever, were forced to blow themselves up before they gained entry into the base,” he says.
President Museveni expressed his regret that the situation presented a missed opportunity.
“…it was a missed opportunity, to annihilate them. The operations are continuing, and they will regret their actions,” the statement reads.
He also extended his condolences to the families of the fallen soldiers and reminded all involved that operations in Somalia are combat missions and not welfare missions.
The Ministry of Defence has taken swift action in response to the attack. A team of UPDF officers, led by the commander of land forces Lt Gen Kayanja Muhanga, has been dispatched to ascertain the circumstances surrounding the incident. Their investigation aims to gather critical information about the attack
“The Chief of Defense Forces (CDF) has initiated a Board of Inquiry (BOI) investigation to uncover the full details of the incident, including casualty figures,” President Museveni states.
The Al-Shabaab militants have claimed responsibility for the attack.
