A Ugandan military Mi-24 helicopter deployed with the African Union Support and Stabilization Mission in Somalia (AUSSOM) crash-landed and caught fire at Mogadishu’s Aden Adde International Airport at about 07:30 a.m. local time on 2 July, according to the Somali Civil Aviation Authority and the Ugandan army. Ugandan defence spokesperson Maj.-Gen. Felix Kulayigye said eight peacekeepers were on board; five were killed while three survived with severe burns. The impact detonated munitions carried on the aircraft, destroying nearby structures and injuring three civilians before airport firefighters contained the blaze. The helicopter had taken off earlier from Balidogle air base on a routine escort mission. Flight operations at the airport resumed shortly after the fire was extinguished, civil aviation officials said. A joint inquiry by Ugandan, Somali and African Union investigators has been opened to determine the cause of the crash. AUSSOM fields more than 11,000 personnel supporting Somali forces against al-Shabab insurgents; Uganda is one of the mission’s largest troop contributors.