KAMPALA— Uganda’s military confirmed that at least two civilians have died in the latest attack by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebel group, while 15 militants were killed as they attempted to cross River Semliki near the border with Democratic Republic of Congo.

The ADF rebels were attempting to launch attacks and raid villages in Ntoroko District in the western part of the country.

Col Deo Akiiki, the deputy army spokesperson, said that the Uganda Peoples Defiance Forces (UPDF) intercepted an attempted raid by the ADF fighters on Dec 12, resulting in some of the rebels drowning while others were killed.

“Yesterday (Monday), we picked up intelligence and monitored a group of 20-30 ADF rebels trying to cross River Semliki. We repulsed them, and as we speak, many have been put out of action,” he said, adding that the militants were stopped before they could mount a serious raid on civilians.

“Some drowned in the river and others were killed. So far there are 15 bodies of rebels,” he explained.

In the ensuing combat, one UPDF soldier and two civilians, whose details could not be immediately established, were also killed, Col Akiiki added.

He refuted reports that many civilians, including children, were killed during the attack, while hundreds of others fled their villages.

The ADF is a Ugandan militant rebel group that uses eastern Congo 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 eastern Congo’s 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.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK