The Ugandan army has killed a leader of a rebel group allied with the Islamic State (ISIS) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as Kampala pursues militants alongside the Congolese army for nearly two years. The army stated in a press release late Friday that the leader, identified only as Faisal, is a Tanzanian citizen who had been active primarily in the Mwalika Valley in the North Kivu province of eastern Congo.
The Ugandan army added: "The joint forces continue to pursue these terrorists from all corners of the forests," noting that fighters of the group willing to surrender will be granted amnesty. The rebel group, known as the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), has been based in the forests of eastern Congo for over twenty years, launching attacks within Congo and sometimes crossing the border into Uganda. The group, originally a Uganda-based rebel faction, began its attacks in the west in the 1990s but was soon repelled by the Ugandan army, prompting its fighters to cross the border into Congo where they have been stationed ever since.
In December 2021, the Ugandan army, in conjunction with Congolese forces, launched an operation against the rebels; however, it did not achieve success on all fronts.
