Africa troops capture junior rebel commander, rescue 10 abductees in Central African Republic

KAMPALA, Uganda – Uganda’s military says it has captured a junior commander with the Lord’s Resistance Army and rescued 10 people abducted by the fugitive leaders of the rebel group notorious for abducting children.

Ugandan military spokesman Lt. Col. Paddy Ankunda said Tuesday that the commander — a rebel lieutenant known as Charles Okello — was seized after a firefight in Central African Republic, where Uganda-led African Union troops are hunting down rebels.

In the hunt for Lord’s Resistance Army leaders the African troops are being assisted by U.S. military advisers and aircraft.

Despite an intensified hunt for the rebel leaders, warlord Joseph Kony, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court for many atrocities, remains elusive and is believed to be constantly on the move in vast central African jungle.