The Spokesperson of the Uganda People’s Defence Forces has vowed the force will not let the surprise attack and humiliation inflicted against AMISOM soldiers by Al-Shabab terrorists in Mogadishu go unpunished.
Maj. Paddy Ankunda (Pictured), al-shabab can only expect an appropriate response from UPDF.”
The threat of revenge comes after what is regarded as the deadliest attack by a well-armed and organised al-shabab who attacked AMISOM base at Janaale in Southwest of Mogadishu, Somalia and killed over 50 soldiers, according to reports quoting western military diplomats.
The Nation Newspaper quoted a note by western military diplomats saying: “It is assessed that at least 50 AMISOM troops died,” adding that “In total around 100 soldiers were “unaccounted for” after the attack.”
The figure however contrasts sharply with what the UPDF gave of twelve soldiers who were killed in the attack after the terrorists used car bombs to explode the gate at Janalee and enter the camp.
The Nation quoted western military sources as saying the attack began with the destruction of two bridges that cut off the camp and prevented the AMISOM soldiers from escaping.
A suicide car bomber rammed the base followed by an estimated 200 Al-Shabaab fighters who overran the camp.
Amisom said its troops “undertook a tactical withdrawal” as the attack began.
Whereas Ankunda said the UPDF had accounted for all its soldiers, reports suggest that the attackers loaded corpses onto trucks, and looted weapons to use in their propaganda campaigns.
The terrorist group has previously gathered the bodies of dead soldiers for use in propaganda videos of its attacks.
The militants are fighting to overthrow the internationally-backed government in Mogadishu, which is protected by 22,000 AMISOM troops from Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda.
Despite the heavy loss of lives, Ankunda said the attack will not stop the UPDF from abandoning its mission of pacifying Somalia.
