Uganda to withdraw troops from Somalia

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KAMPALA, Uganda, Nov. 3 (UPI) -- Uganda is set to withdraw its troops from United Nations-backed international missions, Security Minister Muruli Mukasa said.

Ugandan troops will be pulled out of Somalia, the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo, the BBC reported Friday.

"If our efforts are going to be misinterpreted and we are going to be maligned, we want to be in a good relationship with our neighbors," Mukasa said at a news conference. "Let's stop all these initiatives. We will concentrate on ourselves. Whoever wants to cause us trouble, they will find us at our home."

Uganda currently provides the largest contingent of troops to the U.N.-backed African Union mission in Somalia, or Amisom, where international soldiers are helping the Somali government gain ground against Islamist militias.

Military analysts say a rapid withdrawal of Ugandan troops could threaten those gains.