The Uganda People`s Defence Force-UPDF will recruit 350 army veterans from the fourth division infantry barracks for a mission in war torn Somalia.
The recruits will constitute the 30th battle group under the African Union Mission in Somalia-AMISOM. This is the fourth time UPDF have taken veterans for a battle in Somalia since 2007.
AMISON comprises of forces from Uganda, Burundi, Kenya, Sierra Leone, Ethiopia and Djibouti who are on a peace keeping mission.
Major Caesar Olweny, the forth division army spokesperson disclosed that the recruits will be army officers from the rank of a major and honourably retired from the army and aged below 55 years.
They are expected to register with their District Internal Security Officer-DISO by presenting their discharge and retirement certificates from the army.
Fourth division constitutes the districts of West Acholi including Gulu, Omoro, Amuru, Nwoya, Oyam and West Niles districts.
Olweny said the exercise has commenced this week with registration with DISO and they will later be taken for a pre-mission training in Ssingo training wing in Nakaseke district.
Uganda has the largest number of troops under AMISON in Somalia contributing more than 64,000 of the 21,626 soldiers deployed since 2007.
The move comes barely two months after President Yoweri Museveni threatened to withdraw Ugandan troops from the AMISOM if the United Nations would insist on cutting numbers of troops involved in the mission.
