Gunmen suspected to be Allied Democratic Forces, ADF on Friday night invaded a privately funded secondary school in Kasese District in Western Uganda, killed 41 persons and abducted dozens of the students.

According to Major General Dick Olum, the UPDF commander of mountain division and operation Shujaa in Democratic Republic of Congo said the gunmen killed 41 people; 37 of whom were students, 20 girls and 17 boys, a school security guard and three members of the community.

Ugandan authorities recovered the bodies of 41 people on Saturday after the attack that occurred near Uganda border with Congo.

It was gathered that an unknown number of people were abducted by the rebels, who fled across the porous border into Congo after the after the raid on Friday night.

Uganda officials said that while some of the students suffered fatal burns when the rebels set fire to a dormitory, others were shot or hacked with machetes.

Police said that rebels from the Allied Democratic Forces, who have been launching attacks for years from their bases in volatile eastern Congo, carried out the raid on Lhubiriha Secondary School in the border town of Mpondwe.

The gang, ADF, is said to have close ties with ISIS.

According to the National Police spokesperson, Fred Enaga, the bodies of the deceased students were transferred to the nearby Bwera hospital. Besides, 8 victims are said to be in critical condition.

The terrorists burnt down a male dormitory, looted a food store and abducted female students of the Lhubiriha secondary school, according to residents.

“Our forces are pursuing the enemy to rescue those abducted and destroy this group,” Uganda defence spokesperson, Felix Kulayigye said.

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