Ugandan and Congolese forces on September 08,2024 carried out a major operation that witnessed the rescue of ten people abducted to the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

The victims including five women and five children were snatched back from the clutches of the notorious Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) by the UPDF and FARDC forces.

The daring operation, part of Operation Shujaa, took place at River Asefu, where the joint forces clashed with ADF terrorists.

Major Bilal Katamba, the spokesman for the UPDF Mountain Division/Operation Shujaa says two women were injured during the fierce firefight and were swiftly airlifted to Muhoti Military Barracks for urgent medical care.

The rescued children, visibly malnourished, are now receiving treatment from UPDF medics.

Maj. Bilal says among the survivors is 32-year-old Atukwase Katushabe Jamilah, who had been trapped in the ADF since 2008. Lured into the group from Nabweru Division in Wakiso, she was forcibly married to several ADF commanders. Jamilah was reunited with her 6-year-old daughter, Rahima, during the rescue.

The UPDF and FARDC forces are relentlessly hunting down the remaining ADF fighters, who are affiliated with the Islamic State of Central Africa Province (ISCAP), an ISIS offshoot.