BENI (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd July, 2021) ENI, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), July 23 (Sputnik) - Militants of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) radical group killed at least sixteen civilians and injured another eight in an attack in the eastern DRC province of North Kivu, the armed forces told Sputnik on Friday.
The ambush occurred on Thursday at 5 p.m. local time (15:00 GMT) when a civilian vehicle arrived at the Kapoka village from Chani-Chani. ADF forces attacked the Fuso-type car, leaving over a dozen of casualties.
"Sixteen people were killed, including six women, nine men, and one child," army spokesman Lt. Anthony Mualushayi said, adding that eight other people were found injured and were hospitalized.
He specified, though, that the driver of the ambushed vehicle was also at fault, as he was aware of a curfew for cars imposed by the military which starts at 3:30 local time. At the moment of the attack, it was already dark at the scene and the security troops were absent in the area as they were on a patrol, which allowed the ADF fighters to strike.
The army managed to save several lives during the intervention, as some soldiers were nearby in the village, the spokesman said. The clash killed two ADF militants.
The army is continuing search operations at the order of the provincial authorities, Mualushayi said.
ADF insurgents are believed to be responsible for regular acts of violence in the DRС and neighboring Uganda, where the group was initially formed in the 1990s to fight the government. The Ugandan authorities label the rebel group as a terrorist organization.
In 2017, the ADF pledged allegiance to the Islamic State terrorist group (banned in Russia).
