Kampala: Uganda’s military has successfully apprehended a high-ranking commander of an Islamic State-affiliated rebel group known for their expertise in crafting improvised explosive devices (IEDs), which have been used in deadly attacks in the region, the army announced on Sunday.
The captured insurgent, Anywari Al Iraq, a Ugandan national, was seized in the dense jungles of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where the rebel faction Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) operates, stated the Uganda People’s Defence Forces in an official statement.
During the operation, nine individuals, including children, were rescued from an area located in Ituri province in eastern Congo, the military disclosed.
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“The recovery of an assortment of improvised explosive device (IED) making materials was a significant achievement,” the statement highlighted.
The ADF insurgency originated in Uganda but has been primarily operating from bases in Congo since the late 1990s. In a significant development, the group pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in mid-2019 and has been implicated in numerous deadly raids resulting in the deaths of hundreds of villagers over recent years.
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One of the group’s most notorious attacks was a triple suicide bombing in the capital city of Kampala in November 2021, claiming the lives of seven individuals, including the bombers.
In response to the escalating threat posed by the ADF, the Ugandan army initiated a joint operation with Congolese military forces in eastern Congo in 2021, aiming to dismantle the insurgency and restore stability to the region.
