UPDF Captures ADF Bomb Expert, Anywari Al Iraq in Congo, Rescues Nine

Summary:

• Ugandan military captures ADF commander, Anywari Al Iraq, known for making bombs, in Congo. Nine rescued, IED materials seized. ADF, allied with ISIS, shifted base to Congo in 1990s. Joint operations ongoing since 2021.

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KAMPALA, (Examiner) – Uganda’s military announced on Sunday the successful capture of a high-ranking commander belonging to a rebel faction allied with the Islamic State. The detained individual, Anywari Al Iraq, hailing from Uganda, is renowned for his expertise in crafting improvised explosive devices (IEDs), weaponry used by the group to execute fatal assaults in the region.

The operation unfolded in the dense forests of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where the insurgent faction, known as the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), maintains its stronghold. The Uganda People’s Defence Forces, in an official statement, disclosed the capture alongside the rescue of nine individuals, including children, from a perilous area situated in Congo’s Ituri province.

The military operation yielded a cache of materials utilized in the fabrication of IEDs, enhancing security efforts in the region.

Originally stemming from a rebellion in Uganda, the ADF relocated its operations to Congo in the late 1990s. Subsequently, in mid-2019, it professed allegiance to the Islamic State, perpetrating numerous deadly raids on villages, resulting in significant casualties over the years.

Among its notorious acts, the ADF stands accused of orchestrating a triple suicide bombing in November 2021 within the capital city of Kampala, claiming the lives of seven individuals, including the assailants.

In response to the escalating threat posed by the insurgency, the Ugandan military initiated a collaborative endeavor with Congolese counterparts in 2021, aiming to quell the rebellion in Congo’s eastern territories.

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