KAMPALA, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- Ugandan police has beefed up security in the capital, major towns and highways ahead of the Christmas festive season.
Ugandan police spokesperson Emilian Kayima told Xinhua by telephone on Thursday that the move is to prevent possible terror attacks and armed robberies.
"We can't take chances. We have increased deployments and put in place counter-terrorism measures to ensure that the city and the country enjoy Christmas and New Year celebrations peacefully," said Kayima.
He said the police have intensified security and patrols along all the major highways to prevent crimes and armed robberies.
Al-Shabaab, a Somali militant group, has warned Uganda on several occasions that it would launch attacks for failure to withdraw its over 6,000 peacekeeping troops serving under the African Union Mission in Somalia.
The militant group in 2010 launched twin bomb attacks in Kampala, killing about 80 people and injuring several others.
