A Ugandan contingent of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) on Saturday (January 5th) raided an al-Shabaab base 120 kilometres northwest of Mogadishu, killing several militants and capturing weapons, Uganda's Daily Monitor reported.

The soldiers recovered four sub-machine guns and 13 loaded magazines containing 390 bullets in a road ambush between Bali Doogle and Leego, said spokesperson for the Ugandan contingent Major Henry Obbo, adding that they inflicted substantial losses on al-Shabaab.

"The operation was not only aimed at improving security of the Bali Doogle-Leego road and to further weaken the insurgents, but also to eliminate al-Shabaab pockets in the neighbourhood," Obbo said.

Ugandan contingent commander Brigadier Michael Ondoga praised the operations. "We cannot afford to allow freedom of activity for the enemy in areas we have captured," he said. "Issues of road ambushes cannot be handled by road patrols alone but also by solving the problem from the source. Our operations are paying off."