International Desk: 54 Ugandan soldiers were killed in an Al-Shabaab attack on an African Union peacekeeping base in Somalia, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said. He gave this information in a statement on Saturday. News Al Jazeera
Al-Shabaab fighters attacked the base in Bulmar, 130 kilometers (80 miles) southwest of Somalia’s capital Mogadishu, a week ago, the statement said.
The armed group claimed to have carried out a suicide bombing on May 26, killing 137 soldiers.
Museveni said on Saturday that the Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) had since recaptured the base from al-Qaeda-linked armed groups.
“Our troops displayed normalcy and reorganized themselves, resulting in the recapture of the base by Tuesday,” he said.
Museveni said last week that Ugandan casualties had occurred. But did not elaborate on the attack on troops serving in the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS).
