KAMPALA, July 31 (Xinhua) -- Somali militant group, Al Shabaab, killed 12 Ugandan peacekeepers and injured seven others in an ambush in the horn of African country, Uganda's military said in a statement on Monday.
Brig. Richard Karemire, the spokesperson of Uganda People's Defense Force (UPDF), said the militants ambushed the Somalia National Army and UPDF troops on Sunday at Goryowein along Bulu-maler and Beladamin, in Lower Shabelle region, about 140 km southwest of the capital Mogadishu.
"The dead and those injured have been evacuated to Mogadishu Level II Hospital for further management and treatment," Karemire said.
He said the military is contacting the next of kin of the soliders killed or injured to inform them of the developments, while arrangements are being made to transport the deceased back home for burial.
A board of inquiry is being constituted to establish circumstances leading to the fateful incident, Karemire said.
"The same board of inquiry will help in expediting the compensation process by the African Union in respect of the deceased who gave their lives in defense of mother Africa," he said.
He expressed his deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the soliders killed. "The struggle for peace and stability in Africa continues," he added.
Uganda contributes 6,500 soldiers to the 22,000 African Union peacekeeping troops deployed in Somalia.
