By Ebi Kesiena
Uganda’s military announced on Sunday that it has captured Anywari Al Iraq, a commander of the Islamic State-allied rebel group known for his expertise in making improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
The capture occurred in the dense jungles of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) operate.
Anywari Al Iraq, a Ugandan national, was apprehended during an operation by the Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF). The military also rescued nine individuals, including children, from Ituri province in eastern Congo.
“An assortment of improvised explosive device (IED) making materials were recovered,” stated the UPDF.
READ ALSO: US Forces To Finalize Pullout From Niger By September 15
The ADF, originally an uprising in Uganda, has been based in the DRC since the late 1990s. The group pledged allegiance to the Islamic State in mid-2019 and has since been responsible for numerous deadly attacks. One of the most severe incidents attributed to the ADF was the November 2021 triple suicide bombing in Uganda’s capital, Kampala, which killed seven people, including the bombers.
In 2021, the Ugandan army initiated a joint operation with the Congolese military to combat the ADF insurgency in Congo’s east. Recently, on September 23, 2023, Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni announced that airstrikes against the rebels in eastern Congo had resulted in significant casualties among the militants, potentially including a notorious bomb maker.
The capture of Anywari Al Iraq marks a significant achievement in the ongoing efforts to neutralize the ADF and curb their capacity to carry out further attacks.
