Al-Shabaab attack kills 4 Ugandan troops in Somalia

By Mohammed Dhaysane and Halima Athumani

MOGADISHU, Somalia

Four Ugandan African Union peacekeeping soldiers in Somalia were killed in a terrorist al-Shabaab attack on Sunday, officials said.

Brig. Richard Karemire, Uganda People's Defense Force (UPDF) spokesman, told Anadolu Agency that in addition, six African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) troops were injured in the attack on troops based in the town of Bula Marer in Somalia's Lower Shabelle region.

The AMISOM mission also killed 30 al-Shabaab terrorists who attempted to attack AMISOM Forward Operating Bases at Qoryoley, Buulo Mareer, and Golwen in Lower Shabelle, he said.

Troops also destroyed eight al-Shabaab vehicles that included two improvised explosives and seized four PK rifles, two rocket-propelled guns, two recoil-less guns, one walkie-talkie, and 18 submachine gun rifles, he added.

The attack began with a two-car bombing followed by an almost four-hour battle between peacekeepers and al-Shabaab, according to Sgt. Omar Abdi of the Somali National Army, who spoke to Anadolu Agency by phone.

Somali insurgent group al-Shabaab claimed that it had killed 59 Ugandan troops, but a Somali Security Ministry spokesman denied the claim.

Bulo Marer is an agricultural town located 120 kilometers (74 miles) southwest of the Somali capital Mogadishu.