Al-Shabab threatens more attacks on Uganda
By Sharon S. Tibenda
8th Nov 2010
Al-Shabab militants
A senior official of the Mujahidin Movement Al-Shabab has vowed that his group will wage war on the people of Uganda and Burundi to revenge for the killings that the two armies allegedly carried out against innocent civilians in Somalia.
Speaking to hundreds of people at Dabaqyayn Mosque in Mogadishu’s Huriwaa District where a seminar for Mogadishu’s traditional elders was concluded last week, Shaykh Fu’ad Muhammad Khalaf aka “Shongole” threatened that his group will soon carry out attacks on Burundi and Uganda.
He said Al-Shabab will “…make all efforts to retaliate against the enemy of Islam”. “Shongole” also reiterated that the Ugandan and Burundian troops caused trouble for women and children, adding that they destroyed their residences in the Somali capital Mogadishu and caused them to flee from their homes.
The fiery Islamic cleric also called on all Somalis to join what he called “the holy Jihad” against both the Transitional Federal Government and AU peacekeepers in Mogadishu. He accused Ugandan and Burundian AMISCOM troops of “…indiscriminate shelling against the civilians”.
He also issued a rallying call for all Muslims to join the Jihad and react to AU troops aggressions. The threat of further attacks on Uganda has come after President Museveni vowed to deploy more troops to Somalia to fight the radical Islamist groups.
A good number of UPDF soldiers have so far been killed by Al-Shabab and other Islamists groups in Somalia. Uganda’s army and defence spokesperson Lt. Col. Felix Kulaigye has in the past insisted that the UPDF’s AMISOM contingent in Somalia “…will not be intimidated by Al-Shabab’s threats”.
Al-Shabab claimed responsibility for the multiple bomb blasts that rocked Kampala and claimed the lives of an estimated 84 innocent Ugandans who had gathered at Kyadondo Rugby Club and the Ethiopian Village restaurant to watch the FIFA world cup finals on 7th July 2010.
Several suspects from within the East African region were apprehended in the aftermath of the bomb attacks and are now awaiting trial for the crimes for which they have been charged. END. Please log into www.ugandacorrespondent.com every Monday to read our top stories and anytime mid-week for our news updates.
