Uganda lost 54 soldiers during recent al-Shabaab attack in Somalia

KAMPALA, Uganda

President Yoweri Museveni said Saturday that Uganda lost 54 soldiers, including a commander, when al-Shabaab militants attacked a Ugandan peacekeeping force's base in Somalia -- the first-time the country has acknowledged a figure for soldiers killed by the terror group.

“Our soldiers demonstrated remarkable resilience and reorganized themselves, resulting in the recapture of the base. We discovered the lifeless bodies of fifty-four fallen soldiers, including a Commander,” Museveni said in a statement.

He said the mistake in Somalia was made by two commanders who ordered the soldiers to retreat. He said the two commanders have been apprehended and will face charges in a court martial.

Al-Shabab attacked the base on May 26 that belongs to an African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) manned by Ugandan troops in Bulamarer, 130 kilometers (83 miles) southwest of the national capital of Mogadishu. The group claimed that the attack killed 137 Ugandan troops.

Museveni said the group attempted another ill-fated attack on Baraawe, but Ugandan forces dealt a significant blow that forced them to flee.