Highlights:
- Uganda set to deploys it military aircrafts to Somalia to provide aerial support to the AMISOM troops in the country.
- The aircrafts will mainly comprise of helicopters that will be used to give aerial support thus improving the maneuverability of the ground troops, provide supplies and conduct recce as well as evacuations.
- Uganda provides the largest contribution of peacekeepers to Somalia and they have been in Somalia since 2007.
Summary:
Military officials of Uganda confirmed the deployment of Ugandan military aircrafts to Somalia to aid in the fight against the Al Qaeda affiliated terror group Al Shabaab. This comes barely a week since the AU Commissioner for Peace and Security held a meeting in Kampala to negotiate a deployment of Ugandan aircrafts to Somalia.
Uganda’s air force spokesperson Maj. Kiconco Tabaro which will be mainly helicopters will provide tactical aerial support that will improve the ground troops’ maneuverability, provide food and medical supplies and conduct recce as well as casualty evacuation in times of crises.
The aircrafts will also be used to bridge the communication disconnect brought about by the distances between one troop to another. This according to Tabaro will ease the mobility and efficiency of the operations in Somalia against the militants.
Other officials in the Ugandan military sited the indiscriminate attacks by the militants as tipping point to pool all the available and necessary resource to defeat the combatants. The much needed air support is very critical to the peace restoration and stabilization of Somalia.
Uganda has an assortment of military equipment ranging from fighter, transport helicopters and trainer aircrafts. Among them are 2 Cessna B208 Caravan donated by the United State which are mainly utility and surveillance helicopters that were aimed at aiding the East African country in its counterterrorism and security operations.
The deployment alongside the additional police deployment to Somalia reaffirms the commitment and extent to which the Uganda is devoted to liberating Somalia from the Shebab. Uganda has had her troops in Somalia since 2007 and has the largest contribution of peacekeeping troops in Horn Africa country.
photo courtesy
