22 ADF rebels killed since inception of operation shujja

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | At least 22 rebels have been killed since November last year when Uganda People’s Defence Forces raided suspected camps of Allied Democratic Front rebels in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo-DRC.

The army spokesperson Brig Felix Kulayigye, says in the first operation, UPDF and Congolese forces killed three ADF rebels, four were killed in the second phase and fifteen were shot dead in a fierce fight on Sunday night.

Brig Kulayigye’s figure brings the total number of ADF rebels neutralized in the nearly five months of invasion in DRC to only 22.

“The UPDF and Congolese army killed 15 ADF rebels in Eastern DRC on Sunday night. The joint forces made offensive action against ADF rebels that had killed 16 Congolese civilians. The forces are on high alert to ensure ADF does not cross the border to attack the villages this side (Uganda)” Brig Kulayigye said.

According to Lt. Col Gonzaga Gonza Kworekwa, the head of Intelligence Analysis Cell-Operation Shujja, the joint force also captured three ADF rebels, rescued three abducted children, and captured a number of guns and live ammunition.

Kworekwa says they have discovered that most of the fighters are children who were taken as captives before they were indoctrinated.

UPDF and DRC army launched offensive operations against ADF on November 30, 2021. This was after several Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) went off in various parts of Kampala. The forces and government put the blame on the ADF terror group which they claimed had infiltrated various parts of Kampala and its outskirts.

But ever since UPDF entered DRC, there have been contradicting figures being posted on Twitter about the actual ADF fatalities. One of the last figures was posted on February 23rd where the commander of UPDF land forces, Lt Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba, posted on his Twitter page saying “…promise the people of Uganda that we have already killed 1,000 of the terrorists that attacked us in November. But to the people of North Kivu and Ituri, our joint operation is going to terrorize the terrorists.”

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