UPDF confirms loss of seven troops in Somalia offensive

________________

At least seven Ugandan soldiers have been killed in Somalia, Uganda People's Defence Force spokesperson Major General Felix Kulayigye said Sunday, part of the ongoing fight against the Al-Shabaab militant group.

The soldiers were part of the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM), tasked with combating Al-Shabaab.

Recent attacks have stoked fears of a jihadist resurgence in the Horn of Africa nation, especially coming as AUSSOM struggles with insufficient troops and funding shortfalls.

The losses came during a three-day siege over a town in the Lower Shabelle region, a Ugandan defence ministry statement said, adding the town was recaptured from Al-Shabaab.

"Unfortunately, we lost seven soldiers during the battle," Gen. Kulayigye told AFP.

AUSSOM, which replaced the previous ATMIS deployment, currently has 11,146 soldiers -- although it stated in April it required an additional 8,000.

Somalia has long struggled with the violent Islamist insurgency, although the Al-Qaeda-linked group had been forced onto the defensive in 2022 and 2023 by Somali forces backed by African Union-led peacekeepers.

Recent attacks in key towns have provoked worries of the organisation's resurgence, with the militants targeting President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud's convoy in capital Mogadishu in March.