ISIS-linked terrorists who shot dead a British newlywed and his wife during a safari have been killed by Ugandan troops.
Parish councilor David Barlow, 50, and his wife, South African Celia Geyer, 51, were killed in a hail of bullets when insurgents fleeing Ugandan forces randomly ran into their truck.
Their Ugandan guide, Eric Alyai, 40, was also cruelly murdered in last month’s attack, leaving behind a wife and one-year-old son.
It is understood the couple had married a few days earlier in South Africa’s Western Cape and were enjoying their honeymoon in Queen Elizabeth National Park in western Uganda.
His killers, believed to be part of the ISIS-linked Allied Democratic Force, set fire to the truck and fled, leaving the group’s bodies in the burning wreckage.
The Uganda People’s Defense Forces (UPDF) launched an operation in response to locate the killers and have said they have already shot dead the militants.
David Barlow, 50 (left) and his new wife Celia, 51, (right) died during a honeymoon safari in Uganda when they were randomly ambushed by ISIS-linked insurgents.
Tourists and their guide died while driving through a safari park in Uganda
UPDF spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Deo Akiiki said the killers were part of a group of ADF fighters who were killed on Tuesday night.
The Ugandan military said it is now working to hunt down all branches of the terrorist group.
‘It should be noted that this was part of the group that killed the tourists. The operation is still continuing to eliminate all ADF dissident groups,” he stated.
At a news conference after the killings, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni promised that the terrorists would “pay with their miserable lives.”
“A couple of tourists and the Ugandan driver accompanying them were killed around 6pm on the Katwe-Kabatooro Murram road, by a small group of terrorists fleeing our operations in the Congo,” he said.
“It was a cowardly act by terrorists who attacked innocent civilians and tragic for the couple who were newly married and visiting Uganda on their honeymoon.”
At a news conference after the killings, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni promised that the terrorists would “pay with their miserable lives.”
Following their deaths, Newbury Conservative MP Laura Farris today paid her respects to the couple.
She said: ‘The whole community is shocked by this terrible and incomprehensible attack on David and Celia Barlow when they were on their honeymoon, something that should have been one of the happiest times of their lives.
‘They were loved and respected at Hampstead Norreys, where they lived, and in Thatcham, where David and his family ran their business.
“I have written to the Foreign Minister asking the Government to provide the Ugandan authorities with maximum support to locate and capture the cowardly terrorists suspected of being responsible for this atrocity.”
Barlow’s colleagues at Hampstead Norreys Parish Council, in Berkshire, where he lived, confirmed they had received news of his death.
Dr. Sarah Marshman, an employee, confirmed that Barlow had died and said the news had reached council members this morning.
Celia’s employer, the Belmond hotel group, said in a statement: “We are deeply saddened by the tragic news of the death of our colleague Celia Geyer along with her husband David, while on their honeymoon in Uganda.
‘A true pioneer at heart and a highly respected leader in our industry, Celia is a much-loved member of our Belmond family and will be greatly missed.
“Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with Celia and David’s family.”
