UPDF soldiers 'panicked' as 800 Al-Shabaab militants overran AU base

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FILE: President Museveni

KAMPALA - The Uganda People's Defense Forces [UPDF] soldiers stationed in Bulo Marer Forward Operating Base panicked leading to "disorganization" which allowed Al-Shabaab to step forth and cause massive damage, President Yoweri Museveni has admitted even as Uganda finds answers to the attack.

At the time of the attack, the Forward Operating Base [FOB] was equipped with two tanks, two 14.5mm anti- air-craft guns, and a 107mm Katyusha rocket launcher, President Museveni confirmed, wondering how the soldiers failed to manage the situation, despite being an ambush.

"Some of the soldiers there did not perform as expected and panicked, which disorganized them and the Al-Shabaab took advantage of that to overrun the base and destroy some of the equipment," Museveni, who is also a former soldier, said in a lengthy statement.

Known for his candid talk, Museveni seemingly criticized the troops for "unnecessary panic", adding that the initial response almost forced the Al-Shabaab to retreat. The air teams also gave necessary aerial backup which should have given them morale to fight the militants.

"The panic, it seems, was totally unnecessary because, in fact, both the anti-tank ditch and our soldiers had destroyed the 3 vehicles of explosives outside the FOB," he said. "The suicide bombers or whatever, were forced to blow themselves up before they gained entry into the base."

Over 72 hours later, both the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia [ATMIS] and Uganda are yet to release official data on the number of casualties but insiders say the number of soldiers killed could range from "50 to 137 which Al-Shabaab stated". The base was completely overrun.

According to Museveni, some soldiers managed to sneak from the base and traveled to the next Forward Operating Base which is about 9 kilometers away from Bulo Marer. Over 800 Al-Shabaab militants participated in the deadly raid, added the Ugandan president, who also pledged immediate action.

"Many of the soldiers withdrew to the next FOB, nine kilometers away. The terrorists were many, about 800 or so according to the UAVs," he said. "Hence, it was a missed opportunity, to annihilate them. The operations are continuing and they will regret their actions."

Uganda is one of the countries which dispatched soldiers to Somalia for peacekeeping missions and the troops have been in the country since 2007. Other countries which have contributed troops include Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti, and Burundi. Some soldiers are set to withdraw from the country starting in June this year.

GAROWE ONLINE

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