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US embassy in Uganda warns citizens to shelter during terror operation | US embassy in Uganda warns citizens to shelter during terror operation |
(about 3 hours later) | |
Ugandan authorities have uncovered a “terrorist cell” run by the Somali militant Islamist group al-Shabaab, which they believe was planning an imminent attack, the US embassy in Uganda said on Saturday. | |
“At this point we are not aware of specific targets, and the Ugandan authorities have increased security at key sites, including Entebbe International Airport,” the embassy said in a statement on its website. | |
Uganda, as one of the countries that contribute forces to an African Union peacekeeping mission battling al-Shabaab in Somalia, has suffered militant attacks in recent years, and al-Shabaab has threatened more. | |
The US embassy, shortly before issuing its announcement, told its citizens in a message posted on Twitter, to stay at home or proceed to a safe location while Ugandan authorities completed operations against a suspected cell in Kampala. | |
Ugandan authorities are conducting operations against a suspected terrorist cell in Kampala. | Ugandan authorities are conducting operations against a suspected terrorist cell in Kampala. |
Ugandan police said security was being stepped up at hotels and public places. | |
“We’re increasing patrols in the city, major towns and other vulnerable places,” Fred Enanga, a spokesman, told a press conference in Kampala. | |
Al-Shabaab, which is aligned with al-Qaida, claimed responsibility for the attack on the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi in neighbouring Kenya a year ago, in which 67 people died. | |
This month the group warned of revenge against its enemies after it said its leader Ahmed Godane had been killed in a US air strike on his encampment in Somalia. | |
In 2010, al-Shabaab bombed sports bars in Uganda where people were watching the soccer World Cup on television. | |
The US embassy said Uganda faced a “continued threat”. It has issued other alerts during the year about possible attacks. |