Uganda deploys additional 1,700 troops in volatile Somalia

Uganda has deployed an additional 1,700 troops in volatile Somalia, bringing the total number of Ugandan peacekeepers in the Horn of African country to 8,000, a military spokesman said here on Monday.Col. Felix Kulayigye, spokesman of the Uganda People’s Defense Forces, told Xinhua by telephone that the troops will stay in the Somali capital Mogadishu as their colleagues advance deep into hostileterritory.“The troops have already arrived in Somalia. The troops will take charge of the security in Mogadishu as the rest of the troops will move out of the capital to clean up the rest of Somalia,” he said.“Everything is going on well. We hope to seize more positions from the Al-Shabaab and take charge,” he added.The deployment of the troops which are operating under the African Union Mission in Somalia was concluded over the weekend, according to the military.This increase in the number of troops follows a February UN Security Council resolution that approved the increase in the number of African Union peacekeepers in Somalia from 12,000 to 17, 731.Uganda and Burundi provide the bulk of the AU peacekeeping troops in the war torn country but also Kenya and Djibouti have troops deployed.