UNITED NATIONS, May 29 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned the recent attack against the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) base, staffed by Ugandan peacekeepers, a UN spokesman said on Monday.
"The secretary-general conveys his heartfelt condolences to the families of those killed as well as to the government and people of Uganda," said Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for Guterres, in a statement.
On Saturday, the Ugandan military said it had sent a team of experts to investigate the Friday attack on its troops in Somalia by the al-Shabaab militant group.
The Ugandan army is yet to establish the number of casualties. The al-Shabaab, however, claimed to have killed more than 130 soldiers.
Guterres "pays tribute to all ATMIS troops and expresses his appreciation for their service in support of peace and stability in Somalia," said the statement.
The UN chief reiterated his call for international support to ATMIS and the Somalia security forces in their fight against violent extremism, added the statement.
Uganda is one of the troop-contributing countries to the ATMIS battling terrorists in Somalia. Others are Burundi, Djibouti, Kenya and Ethiopia. ■
