TOKYO (AP) – The leader of Uganda says Islamic extremists in Somalia may have taken some of his country’s troops as prisoners after a recent attack on an African Union base there.
President Yoweri Museveni told reporters in Tokyo on Saturday that 19 soldiers were killed and six were missing following the Sept. 1 attack. He blamed the laxity of the Ugandan commanders for the losses.
The militant group al-Shabab has said it killed 50 Ugandan soldiers at the base in Janale.
Ugandan troops are part of an African Union Mission in Somalia to help the government fight al-Shabab, which is allied to the al-Qaida network.
Museveni is on the last day of an official visit to Japan to discuss aid, trade, investment and other issues.