Four Ugandan soldiers killed in Somali clashes

Four African Union (AU) peacekeeping troops were killed and eight others wounded on Monday after Islamist fighters fired mortar rounds at the forces as fighting rages in the Somali capital for seven day running, AU force spokesman said.

The Islamist group of Al Shabaab last week declared an all-out war against Somali government forces and AU peacekeeping troops based in Mogadishu and the groups have since been launching relentless attacks on targets of the government and AU forces. "We have lost four of our soldiers and eight others were wounded by mortar fire from the insurgents," Bridgye Bahouko, AU forces spokesperson told Xinhua.

About 6,000 troops from Uganda and Burundi are currently deployed in the Somali capital Mogadishu as part of an authorized 8,000-strong AU Mission in Somalia known as AMISOM.

The Islamist groups opposed to the Somali government have been fighting the AU peacekeepers whom they consider as an occupying forces and want them out of the war-torn horn of African country.

In a recent AU summit in the Ugandan capital Kampala, leaders agreed to reinforce the troops with additional 4,000 soldiers. Half of the 4,000 troops will be from the Intergovernmental Authority for Development (IGAD) and the rest will be from Guinea and Djibouti.

In July Islamist group of Al Shabaab claimed responsibility for a deadly suicide attacks against people watching on television the football World Cup finals in Kampala.

The group, which controls much of south and centre of Somalia, said it carried out the attack to avenge for an alleged atrocities committed by the AU peacekeeping forces in Mogadishu.

Source: Xinhua