The military of Uganda reported on Tuesday that an overnight raid in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo had resulted in the deaths of at least eleven ADF Rebels.
The Allied Democratic Forces, ADF, which began as an insurgency in western Uganda in the mid-1990s, were the focus of the raid. Now, it is based primarily in the eastern DRC.
Thousands of civilians have been slaughtered by the group since its founding, and in 2019, its commanders, who have grown more fervent militants, swore loyalty to the “Islamic State” organisation.
The raid on Monday night, when scores of ADF fighters infiltrated into Uganda and engaged soldiers stationed in the Ntoroko district in a battle, prompted the operation, according to the Ugandan military.
An “estimated 20-30 ADF fighters last night crossed River Semliki… Our intelligence got wind of them and they were intercepted,” Brigadier-General Felix Kulayigye, spokesman for the Ugandan military, said in a statement.
Additionally, they shot at bystanders, killing at least three of them, according to local media. Late last year, after a string of explosions in the Kampala area that were connected to the ADF, Uganda pledged to intensify its military operations against the organisation.
Along the border, hundreds of soldiers have been sent to assist their DRC colleagues, and 1,000 more soldiers have volunteered for a different regional force that aims to put an end to the protracted turmoil in eastern Congo.