The Ugandan military has saved three of the six students abducted by Islamist fighters during their violent incursion at a school in the country’s western region last week. Tragically, 42 people, mostly young students, lost their lives in the heinous attack. The army announced this successful rescue operation on Wednesday, providing a glimmer of hope amidst the grim aftermath of the massacre.
According to military spokesperson Felix Kulayigye, a total of six students were subjected to a distressing kidnapping incident, with the fortunate development of three of them having been successfully rescued thus far.
As per the report provided by military spokesperson Felix Kulayigye, a courageous operation resulted in the rescue of a woman accompanied by her two abducted children, who were taken outside the premises of the school. Simultaneously, the successful mission led to the elimination of two militants and the confiscation of two firearms.
In the evening of Friday, an armed faction affiliated with the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a group associated with Islamic State, launched a forceful incursion into Lhubirira Secondary School situated in Mpondwe, a region bordering the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.
Tragically, the armed militants infiltrated a boys’ dormitory, ruthlessly targeting the children with gunfire and subsequently setting the structure ablaze, resulting in the devastating loss of nearly all its occupants. Following this horrific act, they proceeded to enter a girls’ dormitory, employing machetes to perpetrate further acts of violence, claiming the lives of the young girls within.
In addition, the aforementioned group has, on occasion, executed attacks within Uganda, including instances such as bombings directed toward a police station and near the parliament building in the capital city during the year 2021.