...
President-for-Life of Uganda. He assumed office in 1985. His primary virtue is being prefereable to both his predecessors, Idi Amin and Milton Obote...has said.
This figure sharply contrasts that of the holy warrior group al-Shabaab
...... Somalia's version of the Taliban, functioning as an arm of al-Qaeda...
which put the toll at 137. The group is known to exaggerate its casualty figures.
"During that operation, UPDF discovered the lifeless bodies of 54 fallen soldiers, including Lt Col Edward Nyororo, the commander," President Museveni said in a presser.
He added that two commanders were arrested for failing to give clear instructions to the soldiers. "The mistake was made by two commanders, Maj. Oluka and Maj. Obbo, who ordered the soldiers to retreat."
Last week's attack against African Union
...a union consisting of 53 African states, most run by dictators of one flavor or another. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established in 2002, the AU is the successor to the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), which was even less successful...
Transition Mission in Somalia [ATMIS] peacekeepers was the worst in as many months, with the turbans completely overrunning Bulo Marer Forward Operating Base. Reports from the town indicate resilient UPDF soldiers have already regained control over Bulo Marer from al-Shabaab
The recapturing of the base, President Museveni said, was necessary to motivate the troops who are working hard for the stabilization of Somalia. Museveni thanked the soldiers for responding swiftly despite the unprecedented loss inflicted on them by the al-Shabaab turbans, who are still dominant in central Somalia.
"Our soldiers demonstrated remarkable resilience and reorganized themselves, resulting in the recapture of the base by Tuesday," the president said.
Al-Shabaab fighters had targeted the base early last Friday in Bulamarer, 130 km [80 miles] southwest of the capital Mogadishu. Uganda did not immediately release the data on affected soldiers last week but the pressure from home may have motivated Museveni to reveal the number of deaths.
On their part, al-Shabaab had claimed over 137 UPDF soldiers was killed in the raid, which had over 221 soldiers at the time of the attack, a claim disputed by Uganda and ATMIS. al-Shabaab Finance Controller Mahad Karate claimed over 200 Ugandan soldiers were killed in the attack.
Al-Shabaab, which has said it carried out suicide kabooms and killed 137 soldiers at the base, has been fighting since 2006 to replace Somalia's Western-backed government with its own rule based on a strict interpretation of Islamic law.
The attack comes as the ATMIS prepares for the drawdown of troops, with over 2000 soldiers expected to leave the Horn of Africa nation starting this month. The Somali National Army is being prepared to take over security responsibilities once the foreign troops are from the country.