ADF rebel fighters killed by Ugandan Forces in northern DR Congo

KAMPALA - The Allied Democratic Forces [ADF] militants have been killed by Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF) on Tuesday as they attempted to cross River Semliki near the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo.

15 militants from ADF and two civilians were reported dead by the Ugandan forces. ADF rebels had made an attempt to raid villages in Ntoroko District in the western part of Uganda when they were gunned down in a brutal exchange of fire.

“Earlier this week we received intelligence and monitored a group of about 30 ADF rebels trying to cross River Semliki to attack villages in Ntoroko district and that’s when our forces engaged them in a battle stopping them before they could mount a serious raid on civilians and as we speak, many of them have been put out of action.” Confirms Colonel Deo Akiiki, the deputy army spokesperson, of Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF) while addressing the press in Uganda.

At the same time, UPDF has denied media reports by local stations that civilians, including children, were killed during the attack, while hundreds of others fled their villages.

The ADF is a Ugandan Islamist militant rebel group that uses the eastern DRC as its base. It was established in 1996 and has carried out several bomb attacks inside Uganda’s capital, Kampala, the most recent being in October and November last year where at least five people were killed.

The ADF operates in Ituri and North Kivu provinces, where Uganda deployed the Mountain Brigade in Operation Shujaa, jointly with the DRC government to hunt down, fight and uproot the rebel group from its bases.

GAROWE ONLINE