Uganda initiates inquiry after deadly al-Shabaab raid on Somalia's Buulo Mareer army base

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Uganda initiates inquiry after deadly al-Shabaab raid on Somalia's Buulo Mareer army base

KAMPALA, Uganda (HORN OBSERVER) President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda expressed his dismay over the deadly assault carried out by al-Shabaab on Ugandan peacekeepers in Somalia on Friday.

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Al-Shabaab released photo shows a military tank on fire during Friday's attack on Ugandan army base in Buulo Mareer town.

KAMPALA, Uganda (HORN OBSERVER) President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda expressed his dismay over the deadly assault carried out by al-Shabaab on Ugandan peacekeepers in Somalia on Friday.

The militant group claims that 137 soldiers were killed in the attack, while several others were captured alive.

According to President Museveni, approximately 800 terrorists launched the assault on the base of Ugandan soldiers belonging to the African Union Transition Mission (ATMIS) in the town of Buulo Mareer, situated approximately 110km (68 miles) south of the capital, Mogadishu.

The president described the incident as unfortunate, emphasizing the successful operations of the Ugandan forces since 2007. He stated, "In the area of Bulo-Mareer, there was an FOB (Forward Operational Base) manned by a company of UPDF soldiers. Those defenses are quite strong, although they are guarded by light weapons. There were two tanks, two 14.5mm anti-aircraft guns, and a 107mm Katyusha rocket launcher. Some of the soldiers there did not perform as expected and panicked, which disorganized them, and the Al-Shabaab took advantage of that to overrun the base and destroy some of the equipment.”

Museveni highlighted that many of the Ugandan soldiers withdrew to the next base, located nine kilometers away, providing an opportunity for al-Shabaab suicide bombers to infiltrate the base.

He further stated, "The terrorists were many, about 800 or so according to the UAVs [Unmanned Aerial Vehicles]. Hence, it was a missed opportunity to annihilate them. The operations are continuing, and they will regret their actions.”

Board of inquiry (BOI) to investigate

The Ugandan leader expressed his condolences to the country and the families of the deceased soldiers.

President Museveni announced the establishment of a board of inquiry (BOI) to investigate the incident thoroughly, including the details of the casualties.

He emphasized that this unfortunate event should serve as a reminder that operations in Somalia and other similar contexts are combat missions and not welfare missions, where access to UN allowances is possible. This remark referred to the higher pay received by ATMIS soldiers deployed in Somalia compared to the Somali security forces.

"It is criminal for anybody involved to send soldiers into such a theater who are either not suited for that mission or not properly prepared for it. Details will come out after the BOI has finished its work,” added President Museveni.

In a statement released on Friday, the al-Qaeda-affiliated group al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for overrunning the Ugandan army base in Buulo Mareer. They stated that they seized weapons, ammunition, and military equipment.