Uganda says killed 8 armed Kenyan bandits at border

July 6, 2007 7 (KAMPALA) — The Ugandan army said Friday it killed eight tribal warriors who attacked Ugandan soldiers after crossing into the country from Kenya.

About 10 warriors from the Pokot tribe crossed the border Tuesday and launched an attack on the military, killing one soldier, said army spokesman Maj. Felix Kulayigye.

“We killed eight of the Pokot warriors and the others fled to Kenya,” he said, adding that the army was holding 250 cattle believed to have been raided by the Pokot.

Cattle rustling by nomadic tribes in the semiarid region that encompasses northern Kenya, Uganda, southern Sudan and Ethiopia is common. The raids have become increasingly lethal as tribal warriors have acquired modern weapons. Arms have flooded the region following conflicts in Uganda, Sudan and Somalia.

Kenya, meanwhile, was investigating allegations from local Pokot villagers that eight Kenyans were being detained in Uganda after the raid. Joseph Motari, District Commissioner for Pokot North district, said he was in contact with Ugandan officials and trying to verify the claims.

(AP)