Bombing attacks in Uganda's capital city of Kampala killed at least three people on Tuesday. The explosions, which were caused by three suicide bombers, forced the evacuation of parliament, with members running for their lives.
The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the latest in a wave of bombing attacks in Uganda. The latest attack shocked the nation, which has been known for its stance against violent ISIS militants in East Africa.
ISIS announced via the group's Amaq News Agency that the three Uganda's that perpetrated the attacks were their members.
Uganda police spokesperson Fred Enanga said that they had confirmed at least six casualties, including the three suicide bombers. Two of those that were killed were reportedly police officers.
Apart from those killed, the explosions had injured at least 33 other people. Enanga said that give of those injured was now in critical condition. Enanga said intelligence has confirmed that the attacks were perpetrated by members of the ISIS-aligned Allied Democratic Forces, a domestic terrorist group.
The ADF was originally formed by Ugandan Muslims. The group is currently based somewhere in the wooded highlands of the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo, where it is accused of killing thousands of civilians.
The attacks targeted prominent government facilities, including parliament and the city's central police station. The three explosions reportedly occurred roughly three minutes apart. The first one occurred near the central police station, and the two others occurred near parliament.
One of the suicide bombers detonated the explosives he was wearing near the checkpoint at the police station, killing two police officers. The two other suicide bombers were reportedly riding motorbikes.
Witnesses inside the parliament building said they heard huge explosions that shook the ground and broke windows. The witness said several vehicles were on fire, and people were running in a panic when the first explosion occurred.
Enanga said they were able to stop a fourth suicide bomber, and they had found explosive devices at his home.
Last month, Islamic State claimed responsibility for Uganda's first bomb, an attack on a police station in Kampala that left no one person dead. In the same month, two separate bombings were also reported. One bomb exploded inside a restaurant, which killed a waitress and wounded three others. Another bomb exploded inside a bus. The only casualty was the suicide bomber.
Ugandan authorities said the attack inside the restaurant was linked to the ADF. The affiliation of the suicide bomber inside the bus remained undetermined.
The Bridgeway Foundation in the U.S. claims that the Uganda bombings and a recent attempt in neighboring Rwanda looked to be related to a Ugandan bombmaker operating in eastern Congo named Meddie Nkalubo, dubbed "Punisher."
