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The UPDF recover 148 rounds of live ammunition belonging to the ADF rebels in Congo

Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) has captured 148 rounds of live ammunition in Bukoko, North of Kamango town in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The commander land forces of the Uganda Peoples Defence Forces (UPDF) and also Senior Presidential Advisor on Special Duties, Lt Gen Muhoozi Kainerugaba.

The ammunition reportedly abandoned by the fleeing Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels includes bullets from the PK (Pulemyot Kalashnikova, or "Kalashnikov's machine gun"), which is a belt-fed general-purpose machine gun, chambered for the 7.62×54mmR rimmed cartridge.

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The ADF rebels took to their heels after an attack by the UPDF and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the eastern part of the DRC.

This is the third offensive route that has been opened against the ADF operating in Ituri Provinces and North Kivu.

The joint operation, codenamed Operation Shujja, spokesperson Maj. Peter Mugisa said the munitions were recovered by the UPDF soldiers following a tip-off by area residents.

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It was revealed that a dead combatant of the ADF was also found in the area that is believed to be the ADF’s stronghold.

Maj. Mugisa added that UPDF has also embarked on a risk awareness campaign for the public to be on the look out for any suspicious looking persons and report anything that seems amiss to the UPDF and Congolese soldiers.

As the joint operation intensifies, the ADF is also striking back.

On Monday, three people were reportedly killed by ADF rebels in Eringeti village near Biane at the border between North Kivu and Ituri provinces.

However, the ADF attacks are reportedly the last kicks of a dying horse. On Tuesday, it was reported by the UPDF Chief of Land Forces, Lt. Gen. Muhoozi Kainerugaba, that 1,000 Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) rebels had been killed in Operation Shuja.

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Operation Shuja is the joint operation of Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) and the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo against the ADF in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

"I, Lt. General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, Commander Land Forces of UPDF, can promise the people of Uganda that we have already killed 1,000 of the terrorists that attacked us in November," Gen. Kainerugaba said.

Adding, "But to the people of North Kivu and Ituri, our joint operation is going to terrorize the terrorists."

Gen. Kainerugaba also said the armed forces of Uganda and Congo will continue to prosecute the war against the ADF militants until ordered to stop.

"ADF made the biggest mistakes in their lives when they attacked our Parliament! We shall not stop killing them until our President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni tells us to!!!" he declared.

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The joint operation, code named “Shuja” which means bravery in Kiswahili, was launched on November 30, 2021 after the November 16 2021 bomb blasts in Kampala.

ADF is accused of having masterminded the bomb blasts and has been declared a terrorist group by the US.

At the commence of the year, 15 people were charged with offences ranging from committing acts of terrorism and aiding terrorism, with regard to their alleged role in multiple bombings which occurred in the Ugandan capital city Kampala and other parts of the country in October and November.

According to a charge sheet revealed by the police, the 15 people were charged, among other charges, with "intentionally and unlawfully, manufactured, delivered, placed and detonated an improvised explosive device ... with intent to cause death or serious bodily injuries," for the purposes of influencing the government or intimidating the public.

These October and November explosions were caused by an improvised explosive device that left at least nine people dead.

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In the early hours of November 16, at least six people including three suicide bombers were killed and 33 others injured in multiple bomb blasts in Kampala.

One of the suicide bombers blew himself up at the entrance of a police station in the centre of Kampala. Two other suicide bombers detonated bombs along a road that leads to Uganda’s parliament.

In what was a chilling prelude to these November bombings, at least two people were killed in two other bombings in October last year. One at a restaurant and another on a bus.

Islamic State (IS), which is reportedly allied to the ADF, claimed responsibility for the November 16 attack and the October bombings, too.

The ADF, which started out as a Ugandan rebel group, has been wreaking havoc in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda for several years now.

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On 8 June 1998, the ADF attacked Uganda Technical College Kichwamba in Kabarole district, Uganda, and burnt 80 students alive in three dormitories.

After that blood curdling act, it abducted another 100 students and destroyed college property including laboratories and school vehicles.

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