The force decried what they termed as ‘numerous attacks by Al Shabab militia, which has at times hampered the smooth flow of our operations’.
SOMALIA – Most of the operation vehicles (Mambas and Gilas) are old and constantly breakdown which slows down mobility and puts our personnel at risk, Uganda’s Formed Police Unit (FPU) operating in the war-ravaged Somalia have cried out.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Andrew Kaggwa, the Uganda FPU8 Contingent Commander told a delegation of Members of Parliament of the committee of defense and internal affairs on a visit to the AMISOM/Uganda People’s Defense Forces and police bases in Somalia that due to the weather, most of the operational vehicles wear out fast and are grounded.
The AMISOM operational activities, especially in Mogadishu, the capital of Somalia, are alongside the seaside locations, where a combination of the moisture in the air (water) and salt in the air from the ocean lead to faster rusting on the military hardware.
The 160-man personnel based at Al Jazeera II camp in the Southern part of Mogadishu, which is protected by the Special Forces Command (SFC), provides operational support to AMISOM and Individual Police Officers (IPOs) in order to perform their advisory, training and mentoring roles to the Somali Police Force (SPF).
They also provide law enforcement support and operational support to the Somali Police Force and perform other operations as may be directed by the AMISOM police commissioner as well as supplement their effort to expand to other liberated areas outside Mogadishu.
The force included engineers, doctors, drivers, bomb technicians, and logistical support staff and operational personnel.
