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new-al-shabab-boss-plans-to-hit-uganda-gen-katumba&catid=34:news&Itemid=114>
New al-Shabab boss plans to hit Uganda - Gen Katumba
Wednesday, 10 September 2014 01:25
Written by SIRAJE LUBWAMA & AGENCIES
The army has warned that the new leader of the Islamist militant group
al-Shabab plans to hit Ugandans.
The warning comes a week after al-Shabab leader Ahmed Abdi Godane was killed
in a US air strike in Somalia. He was replaced by Sheikh Ahmad Umar. Godane,
37, who had a passion for poetry, seized world attention a year ago with the
Westgate mall attack in Nairobi, which left at least 67 dead. He warned
Kenya that it would suffer further atrocities unless it withdrew its troops
from the AU force in Somalia.
Sheikh Umar alias Abu Ubaidah, who was announced the new leader on September
6, is now intent on retaliatory attacks on Americans, Ugandans and all
countries with troops in Somalia.
In an interview yesterday, Gen Katumba Wamala, the chief of defence forces,
said: "The terrorist attack [threats] on us both in Mogadishu and at home
are real because al-Shabab knows that we are the leading nation that
recently captured their operational areas, which include Kartunwaary,
Marinrangwaayi, Katoniwaari, Baromali and Beradi Amin whose last point is
about 120km."
Katumba added that the capture of these bases by Amisom, of which Uganda has
the largest contingent (about 6,000 soldiers), aided the US in identifying
Godane's hideout. Katumba, who recently toured the newly-captured areas and
assessed the welfare of soldiers, said they would now go for Barawe, an
al-Shabab economic hub with a port.
Katumba said although Amison had recorded successes in Somalia, the new
al-Shabab leader seemed more determined to retaliate. He pointed out that on
September 8, al-Shabab attacked an AU vehicle and killed 12 people,
including two Somali policemen, and injured 27 others. Although Amisom is
yet to assess the strength of Umar, it is believed that this recent attack
could have been planned in advance by the late Godane.
"Once an organisation loses a strong leader, and chief planner, there is
shock and some disorganisation. Still we need to be on the look-out because
as we squeeze al-Shabab in Somalia, they can relocate and they can't be
defeated without putting up a fight or revenge of any sort," Katumba said.
On the welfare of UPDF soldiers in Somalia, Katumba described their morale
as very high, although some of their allowances remained unpaid by AU.
Received on Wed Sep 10 2014 - 10:15:04 EDT