Two of the missing Ugandan attack helicopters which went off the radar on Sunday as they flew to Somalia to shore up the final attack on the port city of Kismayu have been sighted after crash.
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| Kind of Ugandan Choppers that crashed |
The choppers three are said to have gone missing within Kenyan airspace as they flew to Somalia, a source said.
A search on the three MI-23, which disappeared was concentrated near Mt Kenya while a fourth one landed in Wajir, initial reports said.
The Kenya Defence Forces officials confirmed the incident but referred journalists to the police saying the incident was a homeland matter.
“It's true an incident happened on the choppers but talk to the police or Ugandans themselves. The matter is more of a homeland,” said a senior military officer who asked not to be named.
Kiraithe asked for more time to get detailed information on the incidents before making a full statement on the circumstances.
It is not yet clear on what happened to the helicopters. The choppers were apparently headed for Baidoa in Somalia.
The Uganda People's Defence Forces (UPDF) said a team of helicopters had left a base in the Ugandan city of Entebbe but that only one had landed in the Kenyan town of Wajir, where they were scheduled to refuel before flying on to Somalia.
UPDF did not say how many helicopters were missing or how many people were on board.
"The search is going on, we don't know what exactly happened but we are investigating it and we will let you know when I get adequate information," UPDF spokesman Felix Kulayigye told Reuters.
This comes at a time when the long-planned assault on Somalia’s southern port town of Kismayu by the Kenya Defence Forces and their Amisom allies is probably only days away in what will be a decisive week for Somalia.
Courtesy of www.standardmedia.co.ke
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