Uganda military deploys combat aircraft to Somalia as Al-Shabaab steps up raids

KAMPALA, Uganda - The Ugandan People Defense Forces [UPDF] has deployed a military combat aircraft to Somalia, Tuesday, spokesperson Brig. General Richard Karemire said, in a move aimed at helping ground forces with ample aerial surveillance during operations.

Uganda is one of the African Union Mission in Somalia force contributing nations and to date, it has close to 6,500 UPDF troops mainly operating within the Al-Shabaab-prone Lower Shebelle region and sections of the capital, Mogadishu, where they have been operating for the last 12 years.

The troops are credited for flushing the Al-Shabaab militants from the capital besides conquering strategic towns including Janaale in Lower Shebelle, which was liberated in March this year, following an operation that was launched by UPDF with the support of the Somali National Army [SNA].

In a tweet on Tuesday, Gen. Karemire said the combat aircraft will help the AMISOM ground forces conduct operations with ease by helping with airstrikes besides helping soldiers to move from one point to another during military operations.

Also, he added, the aircraft will be used to enhance the collection of intelligence, conducting surveillance and supporting reconnaissance capacity in the war-torn nation, which has struggled to contain the militants for the last 13 years when they first launched an attack.

"The UPDF is deploying air assets to the operation theater in Somalia. This will offer the ground AMISOM Forces the necessary firepower and enhance intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capacity," the spokesperson said in a statement.

UPDF has been helping SNA troops to conduct operations in Lower Shebelle and the acquisition of the combat aircraft could further deal a blow to Al-Shabaab militants, whose attacks are only limited to ambushes, IED and VBIED explosions with rare battlefield encounter against the military.

In April, the militants attacked a UPDF base in Barawe town but the terrorists were repulsed before managing to detonate a VBIED outside the main entrance. The forces also managed to block a similar attack at Barawe airport after the suicide bomber tried to make an entry.

The UPDF troops have also managed to foil attacks at the Halane Base Camp in Mogadishu which hosts AMISOM headquarters, several diplomatic missions and renowned world organizations which operate in the Horn of Africa nation.

Recently, Lt. General Kaineruguba Muhoozi, who works as a special advisor to President Yoweri Museveni, hailed UPDF troops for their "courage and determination" in degrading Al-Shabaab militants in Somalia. UPDF, Muhoozi noted, "will always stand with our brothers who are in need all the time."

But in early May, Uganda stopped the regular rotation of its AMISOM troops, following the outbreak of Coronavirus. By that time, AMISOM reported, at least nine soldiers had tested positive for COVID-19, an incident that informed the decision to stop rotation.

Under the Somalia Transition Plan, the AMISOM troops are set to leave the Horn of Africa nation in 2021 after elaborate security measures have been put in place. The SNA troops will formally take security responsibilities in Somalia after the exit but with close monitoring from the African Union.

The Al-Shabaab militants have continued to wreak havoc across the country and beyond borders despite the fact that they have been significantly degraded. In recent weeks, military bases have been their major targets as they seek to take revenge.

But the coordination from the African Union Mission troops and the US Africa Command has proved tough to break, leading to several unsuccessful attempts in various military bases. In the past, UPDF, ENDF, KDF, and SNA bases have come under attack from the militants.

GAROWE ONLINE