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UPDF Soldiers Take Over Somali Airport

New Vision (Kampala)
NEWS
March 11, 2007
Posted to the web March 12, 2007

By Henry Mukasa And Agencies
Kampala
UPDF forces of the African Union peace-keeping mission in Somalia have taken
over the security of Mogadishu Airport, allowing for air traffic to resume.
"We took over control of the airport from the Ethiopian forces," said the UPDF
spokesman, Capt. Paddy Ankunda, on telephone from Mogadishu yesterday.
"This means that commercial and other flights can safely fly in and out. It
also means that we have started executing our mandate, which is to protect
government installations. The next step is to take control of the sea port."
The airport had been closed on Friday after a plane, carrying soldiers and
equipment for the Ugandan force, had caught fire. As a result, two planes
carrying Ugandan soldiers were forced to return to Entebbe.
An Islamist group claimed responsibility for the attack. "Today, March 9, 2007,
we destroyed a military plane at Mogadishu airport", said a statement on the
Internet website www. Qaadisiya.com. "The plane carrying the last invading
troops was hit by two missiles at the centre of the aircraft."
UPDF believes it could have been a technical error. "We cannot confirm nor deny
until the AU has finished its investigations. It looked like a technical
problem," Ankunda said.
A total of 1,200 Ugandans had by last night landed in the Somali capital.
The troops have been arriving in batches of 400, on planes provided by Algeria.
They faced at least two assaults by gunmen since their arrival last Tuesday, in
which two UPDF soldiers were wounded.
But according to Ankunda, the ordinary people are welcoming them. "People are
waving at us when we drive in the streets. Locals even informed us that a
landmine had been planted on the road to the airport."
The Somali interim government yesterday announced plans to forcefully disarm
civilians in the capital.
Deputy defence minister, Salad Ali Jelle told reporters that before the end of
the month, "each house in Mogadishu will be searched and no civilians will be
allowed to have a weapon. There is no way bandits can stay operational here."
Jelle said the government was training about 45,000 troops to help the
peacekeepers. An advance team of newly trained security forces has already been
deployed to the city.
The Somali government hopes to pacify Mogadishu within 30 days, he added.
"Thousands of our troops have finished their training. We will secure Mogadishu
within 30 days."
Jele was speaking a day after newly trained security forces clashed with police
at a Mogadishu police station in a gun battle that killed one person and
wounded two.


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