ISIS claims Uganda suicide bombings that killed three

Police blame ADF for the deadly attacks that targeted parliament and a police station

Three killed and several injured as explosions rock Kampala

Three killed and several injured as explosions rock Kampala
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Two suicide bombings have killed three people and wounded several dozen more in Uganda's capital Kampala on Tuesday.

ISIS has claimed responsibility for the attacks.

The police earlier blamed the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), an armed group active in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The group, which Washington says has links to ISIS, is also blamed for a string of recent attacks in Uganda.

Two suicide bombers on motorbikes – disguised as local "boda boda" motorcycle taxi drivers – detonated a device near the entrance to parliament, killing a passerby. A third attacker targeted a checkpoint near the central police station, killing two people, police spokesman Fred Enanga said.

The explosions in Kampala's central business district occurred within minutes of each other, shortly after 10am, and left "bodies shattered and scattered", he said.

Police foiled a third attack, recovering an improvised explosive device from the home of an alleged suicide bomber who was shot and wounded, Mr Enanga said. They were in pursuit of other members of the group.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said the man later died. He vowed that the attackers "will perish".

"The public should maintain vigilance of checking people at entry points to bus parks, hotels, churches, mosques, markets," he said.

The blast near the police station shattered windows while the one near parliament set cars parked near by on fire, Uganda's Assistant Inspector General of police Edward Ochom told AFP earlier. The Ugandan Red Cross said 21 of the 33 people wounded were police officers.

The attacks follow two blasts last month – a bus explosion near Kampala that wounded many people and a bombing at a roadside eatery in the capital that killed one woman. Police said both explosions were carried out by ADF.

Group blamed for funeral attack

Uganda has also blamed the group for a foiled bomb attack in August on the funeral of an army commander who led a major offensive against Al Shabab militants in Somalia.

Salim Uhuru, Mayor of Kampala Central, told AFP he was near the police station when he heard the blast. "It was so loud. I ran towards the police station and saw one policeman I know dead on the ground. His body was scattered like mincemeat," Mr Uhuru said.

Kyle Spencer, executive director of Uganda's Internet Exchange Point, told AFP the explosions had sparked panic.

"The road to parliament is closed off, there are people just crying, everyone else is just trying to get away from these areas," he said.

Parliament cancelled its Tuesday session, asking members to avoid the area "as security forces are working hard to restore order".

The premises was placed under tight security, with heavily armed soldiers securing the area as forensics officers in white overalls inspected the blast site for clues.

Updated: November 17, 2021, 6:19 AM