At least seven Ugandan soldiers serving with the African Union Support and Stabilisation Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) were killed during a three-day siege in the Lower Shabelle region.
The soldiers were part of an ongoing effort to combat the Al-Shabaab militant group, and their deaths occurred as AUSSOM faces challenges with insufficient troops and funding.
Despite the losses, the town under siege was successfully recaptured from Al-Shabaab.
This incident, along with other recent attacks, has raised concerns about a potential resurgence of the Al-Qaeda-linked group, which had been on the defensive in 2022 and 2023.
AUSSOM, which currently has 11,146 soldiers, had stated in April that it required an additional 8,000 troops.
