NTOROKO, UGANDA: The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) has revealed that at least 8 rebels attached to the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) were captured after an estimated 20-30 ADF fighters on Monday night crossed River Semuliki into Kyanja in Ntoroko district.
The army spokesperson Brig Felix Kulayigye confirmed this saying “Eight enemies were captured alive”, with most of them below the age of 18.
“One of the rebels, known as Ali, said he was 16 years old, another one said he was 12 years old.”
According to Brig Kulayigye, the UPDF and sister security organs on Tuesday morning began a massive deployment of forces to counter the attackers, killing 11 rebels and recovering 11 guns and ammunition.
In an interrogation video seen by this website, the youthful fighters said they belonged to different formations of the terrorist movement which has since pledged allegiance to the Islamic State.
The development comes after several United Nations groups said ADF was recruiting children as young as 10 years of age as child soldiers.
Some of the ex-ADF rebels who escaped from the group in DRC said ADF recruiters in Uganda lure boys to the DRC with false promises of employment and free education and then force them to join the ADF.
ADF’s training groups typically include adult men and boys and two boys who escaped from the ADF in 2013 told the United Nations that they had received military training from the ADF.
Last year, President Museveni authorized a combined arms military operation against ADF forces in Eastern Congo.
The army said hundreds of ADF fighters were killed in aerial and long range military strikes on the insurgents’ camps.
ADF Attacks in the past
Monday night’s attack was the first conventional cross-border attack by ADF since 1995 in Kasese district.
On November 13, 1996, ADF perpetrated its first large-scale attack on the towns of Bwera and Mpondwe-Lhubiriha in Kasese district, Uganda.
Approximately 50 people were killed in the attack. 25,000 people fled the towns.
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