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Uganda blasts: Who is responsible for the deadly attacks?

The authorities are pointing the finger at an Islamist group called the ADF, or Allied Democratic Forces, who are reported to have links with the Islamic State.

Suicide bombers targeted the Ugandan capital Kampala on Monday, killing at least three people and injuring more than 30 others, police say. Three attackers on motorbikes blew themselves up near parliament and the city's police headquarters.

The authorities are pointing the finger at an Islamist group called the ADF, or Allied Democratic Forces, and the Islamic State group has issued a statement claiming it was behind the attacks. The ADF is reported to have established relations with IS. Jason Stearns, author and specialist on the region, advises caution for attribution of the attack. He explains that the ADF has been behind a string of attacks in the eastern DRC and has approached Islamic groups in the region as a means of attracting funding and recruits. He says that if they were responsible for the attacka in Uganda, it could mean that more violent attacks could take place there in the future.

Photo: Cars on fire after a bomb explosion near the Parliament building in Kampala, Uganda, on November 16, 2021 Credit: Getty Images

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