The Ugandan military said on Sunday that it has captured the commander of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) militia and rescued nine abductees in a joint operation in eastern DR Congo, Xinhua reports. This comes about 10 days after atleast eight civilians died, on May 9, in an attack on a health center in eastern DR Congo’s North Kivu Province, that was reportedly carried out by the ADF.

The Ugandan troops, together with their Congolese counterparts, captured Anywari Al Iraq at Apumu in eastern DR Congo's Ituri Province on Saturday, said Bilal Katamba, Ugandan spokesperson for the joint operations dubbed Operation Shujaa.

ALSO READ: ADF rebels attack health centre in eastern DR Congo, kill 8 civilians – reports

Katamba said in a statement that Anywari, also known as AA, an expert in improvised explosive devices (IEDs), is of Ugandan nationality. "During the operation, one submachine gun, 45 rounds of ammunition, three walkie-talkies, one RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) charger, and an assortment of IED-making materials were recovered."

The Ugandan military spokesperson said four children and five women were rescued from the ADF in the Mambune area in Ituri Province on Saturday.

ALSO READ: How ADF, IS are linked to insurgents in Mozambique

"The rescued children and women are receiving basic medical attention as arrangements are underway to transfer them to a better medical facility," said Katamba. "The joint forces continue to pursue the ADF terrorists from all directions in their areas of operation."

The ADF, a branch of the Islamic State in Central Africa, is one of the more than 200 militia groups operating in the jungles of eastern DR Congo. The militia pledged loyalty to the Islamic State group in 2019.

ALSO READ: Congolese armed groups say FDLR, ADF, Red Tabara obstacles to peace

Ugandan troops, in cooperation with their Congolese counterparts, have been jointly combating the group since November 2021.

In mid-April, between 10 and 15 civilians were reported killed in weekend attacks in DR Congo’s Beni region, in attacks blamed on ADF. Last October, at least 20 civilians were killed in the east of the vast lawless country in another among many other attacks attributed to the Islamic State-affiliated Ugandan group. The ADF, originally mainly Muslim Ugandan militia, have established a presence over three decades in eastern DR Congo, killing thousands of civilians.