The remains of the 12 UPDF soldiers who were killed on Sunday by Al-Shabaab in Somalia have been brought home.
The bodies were on Wednesday received by the Deputy Commander of the Defence Forces in the UPDF, Maj. Gen. Wilson Mbasu Mbadi and the Chief of Personnel, Brig. Igumba at the army Air Force Base in Entebbe.
Relatives, senior army officers and officers and men of the UPDF were at the airbase to receive the bodies.
Metallic boxes bearing the remains of the fallen soldiers were transferred from a plane to waiting UPDF ambulances that took them to Bombo Military Hospital for embalmment. It is not yet clear when the bodies will be handed over to relatives for burial. Names of the fallen soldiers were not readily available.
The soldiers were ambushed at Goryowein along Bulu-maler and Beladamin in Lower Shabelle region, about 140km Southwest of the capital Mogadishu as they patrolled to secure Mogadishu-Barawe road which is the main supply route to the UPDF forward bases.
In September 2015, al-Shabaab attacked the UPDF base in Janaale, Southwest of Mogadishu, killing 19 soldiers and one Pte Masasa was taken as a Prisoner of War until he was executed early this year.
After that attack, the army leadership reorganised UPDF formations in the forward operating bases and made them bigger to avoid being outnumbered by the enemy.
Source By Daily Monitor
