Thursday, September 26, 2013
A top Uganda military general has said the country is on alert
following a terror attack in neighbouring Kenya in which 65 people were
killed and 175 injured.
Gen Katumba Wamala, Uganda's Chief of Defence Forces, told the press
in Kampala on Tuesday that security services in the country were on
alert after Al-Shabaab militants struck a shopping mall in the Kenya
capital Nairobi.
"We are on alert. We have heightened security. It is red alert. We
are raising awareness and alerting people. When you go to the malls, you
find more alertness," said Katumba Wamala speaking at the headquarters
of the Ugandan military.
Al-Shabaab militants on Saturday attacked the Westgate mall in Kenya
saying it was in retaliation for alleged killings in Somalia by Kenya
Defence Forces (KDF).
Kenya has forces deployed in Somali under the auspices of the African Union (AU) to fight Al-Shabaab alongside Somali troops.
Uganda and Burundi were the first countries to deploy troops in
Somali in 2007 under the AMISOM, the AU mission in the country. Uganda
has close to 7,000 troops in Somalia.
In 2010, the Al-Shabaab struck Kampala in a twin attack killing 74
people; most of them were enjoying a world cup game at a popular rugby
ground in the city while others were killed in an Ethiopian restaurant
in the city.
Speaking at the headquarters of the Ugandan military in Kampala, the
Uganda military chief called for more training of the public to raise
their awareness about terrorism. He cautioned that Al- Shabaab is
capable of using any trickery to carry out attacks on civilian targets
including using trucks disguised as food delivery vehicles.
Media reports in Uganda on Tuesday said Al- Shabaab had in a warning
posted online said it will strike Kampala, Addis Ababa in Ethiopia and
Pretoria in South Africa.