By Henry Mukasa
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
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FIVE UPDF soldiers serving in the peace-keeping mission in Somalia were yesterday injured during a battle with militants who attempted to enter their camp in Mogadishu. Army spokesperson Lt. Col. Felix Kulayigye said the Al-Shabaab militants attempted to sneak into the AMISOM camp but were repelled at the gate.
“Using a vehicle loaded with explosives, they tried to enter our camp but were stopped at the gate. We killed three suicide bombers and they injured five of our troops; four slightly and one seriously,” Kulayigye said yesterday.
“They could not beat the vigilance of our troops. This is aimed to deter us from helping the people of Somalia. Instead it has increased our resolve to end that criminality on the continent,” he added.
Burundi and Uganda are the only contributors to the 5,000 AMISOM force in the war-torn Somalia. A total of 8,000 soldiers are needed.
About 34 soldiers have been killed since the force first deployed in March 2007. Of these, 17 were Ugandans.
Maj. Ba-Hoku Barigye the spokesperson, described the incident as a “foiled suicide attack” on the Ugandan detachment at Shingani in Mogadishu. He said the injured were in stable condition.
In a press statement yesterday, Barigye also said the representative of the chairperson of the African Union Commission for Somalia, Ambassador Boubacar Gaoussou Diarra, praised the peacekeepers for foiling the attack.
“The actions by the African Union peacekeepers today have demonstrated once again their professionalism and strong commitment to help the people of Somalia achieve peace and stability despite increased desperation by insurgents to prevent innocent Somali civilians from achieving sustainable peace and stability,” Diarra said.
The peacekeeping troops are protecting the transitional federal government of president Sherif Ahmed Sharif.
The forces have always been targeted by the extremist militants, who say by deploying in Mogadishu, Uganda and Burundi invaded Somalia.
AMISOM has the backing of the African Union and the United Nations.
In September last year, the insurgents attacked the AMISOM base by planting explosives on two vehicles they had stolen from the United Nations and exploding them inside the base.
They killed 17 peacekeepers, including the Burundian deputy head of mission. Six of those killed were Ugandans.
Source: New Vision