Museveni trims Al Shabab strike toll to 54

Gen. Museveni has announced that the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) has recovered at least bodies of 54 Ugandan soldiers who were killed in an attack by Al-Shabaab on a Forward Operating Base in Lower Shabelle on May 26. He reiterated this to dispute earlier claims by the Al Shabab insurgents who in a press statement said they had killed at least 137 UPDF soldiers and captured more than 50 alive from the camp that housed over 200 Ugandan troops.

Speaking to the National Resistance Movement (NRM) Parliamentary Caucus, Museveni shared that the UPDF successfully recaptured the Buulo Mareer Base from the Al-Shabaab terrorists in Somalia a few days ago.

The attack on the Buulo Mareer Forward Operating Base saw over 800 fighters from Al-Shabaab overpowering the UPDF and taking control of the base. However, the Ugandan soldiers showed resilience and managed to reorganize themselves, leading to the recapture of the base on Tuesday, as Gen. Museveni revealed during the ongoing NRM Parliamentary Caucus retreat at the National Leadership Institute in Kyankwanzi.

During the operation, the UPDF discovered the bodies of 54 fallen soldiers, including Commander Nyororo. Al-Shabaab, known for exaggerating its figures, claimed to have killed 137 Ugandan soldiers and seized vehicles, weapons, and ammunition from the base.