UN, Congo end joint operation, killing 86 Ugandan rebels

UN peacekeepers and government forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) wrapped up a joint operation against Ugandan rebel groups in east DRC with a total of 86 rebels killed, UN mission said on Wednesday.

Military Spokesman for the UN mission Frederic Medard said preliminary statistics showed all together 86 Ugandan rebels were shot dead and four others captured in the fighting in the North Kivu province.

Six Congolese military servicemen and a UN peacekeeper from India were killed on Sunday when the operation was started in the village of Mukungwe in east DRC. Other four peacekeepers were wounded.

The Congolese forces and UN peacekeepers were still patrolling the eastern area, Medard said.

A Congolese senior officer who asked to be anonymous said the rebel National Army for the Liberation of Uganda have fled to Ruwenzori, a mountainous area bordering Uganda. Several of their strongholds were under the control of Congolese troops.

The operation involved 3,500 Congolese servicemen with the backing of 600 UN peacekeepers from India, the UN mission said.

Source: Xinhua