{{Uganda will send a 410-strong special force to guard UN installations in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, a Ugandan army spokesman has said.}}<\/p>\n
The protection squad will free up thousands of UN-backed troops to pursue militant Islamists in the city, Paddy Ankunda said.<\/p>\n
The Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Shabaab group has stepped up attacks in Mogadishu in recent weeks.<\/p>\n
At least 12 people were killed in a suicide bombing last Thursday.<\/p>\n
Last June, it carried out a major assault on the main UN base in Mogadishu, leaving at least 22 people dead.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, a Somali military general, Hassan Mohamud, assumed the post of mayor of the city replacing Mohamed Nur, who is known by his nickname of Tarzan.<\/p>\n
The government’s decision to appoint him shows that improving security in Mogadishu remains its key priority, correspondents say.<\/p>\n
A 22,000-strong African Union (AU) force, operating under a UN mandate, is battling Al-Shaabab in Somalia.<\/p>\n
Col Ankunda said the protection squad would ensure the AU force was not “bogged down” escorting UN staff – many of whom are involved in aid work.<\/p>\n
“Amisom [the African force] will be freed to follow Al-Shabaab wherever they are hiding,” he added.<\/p>\n
Al-Shabaab lost control of most of Mogadishu in 2011 to AU and Somali government troops.<\/p>\n
It has changed its strategy since then, launching guerrilla-style attacks – including suicide bombings and night-time mortar raids.<\/p>\n
Last month, Al-Shaabab fighters stormed Villa Somalia, the seat of government in Mogadishu, killing at least 11 people.<\/p>\n
The group has waged an eight-year insurgency to overthrow the weak UN-backed government and create an Islamic state in Somalia.<\/p>\n
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