KAMPALA — A Ugandan military officer stationed in Somalia was killed and six other soldiers were wounded when their convoy struck a roadside bomb, Uganda’s military announced on Monday.
The attack has been attributed to fighters from the Islamist militant group al Shabaab.
The explosion occurred on Sunday in the village of Ceel-Werigow, approximately 70 kilometers southwest of Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu.
Major Patrick Opio Awany, who was leading the convoy, was killed by the blast, according to Ibrahim Kasule Sekitto, a spokesperson for the Ugandan troops in Somalia.
Uganda has around 5,000 troops deployed in Somalia under the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (Atmis), which aims to support the Somali government in its fight against insurgents.
“The convoy was en route from Mogadishu to Ceeljale in the Lower Shabelle region when it was attacked,” Mr. Sekitto told Reuters. “This attack won’t deter us. It will instead stiffen our resolve to continue supporting peace efforts in Somalia.”
The al Shabaab militant group, which has been fighting to overthrow the Somali government for more than a decade, frequently carries out bombings and armed assaults in Somalia.
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