At least 54 soldiers, including a commander, have been killed by a dissident group in Somalia.
Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, said, at least 54 African Union forces were murdered last week when militants attacked a base housing Ugandan units in Somalia.
“We discovered the lifeless bodies of 54 fallen soldiers, including a commander,” Museveni said late Saturday on his official Twitter account.
Al-Shabaab, which has waged a violent insurgency against Somalia’s shaky central government for more than a decade, claimed responsibility for the May 26 attack.
According to locals and a Somali military commander, the terrorists drove an explosive-laden car into the facility in Bulo Marer, 120 kilometers (75 miles) southwest of Mogadishu, resulting in a battle.
The death toll is one of the highest since pro-government forces supported by the AU force known as ATMIS launched an attack against Al-Shabaab in August.
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Museveni stated last week that the initial panicky reaction to the incident contributed to the death toll.
He said: “The mistake was made by two commanders, Maj. Oluka and Maj. Obbo, who ordered the soldiers to retreat,” Museveni said in a statement, adding that they will face court martial proceedings.
“Our soldiers demonstrated remarkable resilience and reorganised themselves, resulting in the recapture of the base.”
The 20,000-strong ATMIS brigade is more offensive in nature than its predecessor, AMISOM.
The force is made up of troops from Uganda, Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Kenya, and is stationed in southern and central Somalia.
Its purpose is to delegate security duties to Somalia’s army and police by 2024.
