By Ahura Mujuni Mark

The Army Spokesperson ,Col Felix  Kulayigye has come out and clarified on Monday’s incident at Mbuya barracks and dismissed claims that it was an attack .

Media reports had interpreted the incident as a guerilla attack on Mbuya Garrison Barracks to loot  sophisticated arms .

However ,Kulayiye says  that it was an attack by thugs who wanted to grab a rifle from a guard.

“What happened at Mbuya was an attempt by thugs to snatch a rifle from a sentry/ guard and not an attack as reported in some sections of the media today,” Kulayigye said in a statement.

“It’s instructive to note that an attack would have involved a deliberate and sustained exchange of fire from the alleged attackers and the defenders. This was not the case. It was the guard that short the thugs led by a deserter and the guard executed his job very well, harvesting two thugs,” he said.

“It is also important to note that Mbuya is no longer a barracks in the real sense of the term; but rather a facility in transition and that is why the deserter had hoped to get some guns to steal for criminal purposes.” The spokesperson added in a statement