Muhoozi concludes tour of troops in Somalia

By Hellen Mukiibi & Henry Mukasa

SOMALIA - The commander of the Special Forces Command of the UPDF, Brig. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, on Saturday concluded a one-week tour of the frontline positions in Somalia under the Ugandan group.

“This is another of my several routine trips here. Many of you know I have been here on several occasions in our efforts to pacify Somalia under the AU mandate. We shall continue sharing experiences and ideas on how to attain our objective,” Muhoozi told the troops during one of the field tours where he interacted with Ugandan peacekeepers.

Maj. Henry Obbo, the spokesperson of the Ugandan group, said Muhoozi congratulated the troops for achieving so much despite the challenging situation.

“We should maintain the spirit of achieving much with the little available. I am impressed you are healthy and have proved to be hardened soldiers by easily overcoming the challenge of harsh weather,” Muhoozi reportedly said.

He added: “You have continued to push against the wall an enemy that the world had thought to be so strong. Africa is very proud of you.”

During his stay in Somalia, Muhoozi visited a number of liberated areas and also inspected a huge assortment of arms and ammunitions recovered from the insurgents.

Obbo quoted Brig. Michael Ondoga, the head of the Ugandan contingent, as saying security had improved in captured areas, but the weakened militants continued to intimidate the population.

“We have scaled up our activities, including night operations on specific targets to wipe out al-Shabaab remnants so that we maintain the enabling environment that has seen Somalia go through the first presidential elections after decades of State collapse,” he said.true

During a-get-together dinner, Muhoozi hailed the spouses of the peacekeepers, saying they have greatly contributed to the success of this great Pan African cause by inspiring the soldiers and managing the families during their absence.

Hailing Uganda’s contribution to the mission, the deputy AMISOM force commander, Maj. Gen. Simon Karanja from the Kenya Defence Forces, observed that: “It took Ugandans a bold decision to allow their sons and daughters to go as pioneers to a place known as the most dangerous in the world. This was a sacrifice that very few countries in the world would do.”

Meanwhile, the squeezed al-Shabaab fighters are said to be moving north of Somalia into the mountainous side of the semi-autonomous region of Puntland, President Abdirahman Mohamud Farole said over the weekend.

The Puntland leader said the authorities had captured two shipments of explosives from Yemen in the past few months.

In the most recent seizure, the boat had been laden with rocket-propelled grenades, anti-tank mines and other munitions.

The incident raised concern about possible co-operation between Yemen-based al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) and al-Shabaab, which formally merged with al-Qaeda earlier this year.

Farole said he needed international help to train and equip his security forces to fight terrorists.