On Thursday, Uganda revealed the apprehension of the head of a militia group accused of perpetrating the killing of two foreign tourists and their local guide during a honeymoon trip to a national park last month.
The army stated that he was the lone survivor of a nighttime military strike on Tuesday aimed at a faction of the notorious Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), resulting in the demise of six other fighters.
A British national, a South African, and their guide were killed in an attack during a safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park on October 17.
The ADF, an armed militia linked to the Islamic State (IS) group, operating from the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo, was held accountable by Uganda for the incident.
The IS group later announced that they were behind the attack, claiming that they had specifically targeted and killed “three Christian tourists.”
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According to AFP, Uganda’s deputy military spokesman Deo Akiiki reported that the unit commander, referred to as Njovu, had sustained a back injury during a gun battle on Tuesday.
‘This was a successful joint military intelligence-led operation and the whole squad that had been sent by the ADF to cause mayhem, kill tourists, burn schools, hospitals, was eliminated,’ Akiiki said.
‘The only survivor is the commander whom we captured,’ he said, adding that he would now face trial.
According to Akiiki, Njovu was found in possession of some items belonging to the murdered tourists, as well as the identity card of their Ugandan guide.
Major General Dick Olum, in charge of Uganda’s military operations against the ADF in the DRC, stated that an additional six members of the group were gunned down during Tuesday’s mission.
The victims of the October assault were identified as British national David Barlow, his South African wife Celia, and their guide, Eric Ayai.