Felix Kulayigye, the Ugandan military spokesperson, told Xinhua by phone that the six were rescued during the ongoing pursuit by Uganda People’s Defense Force of the ADF, which retreated to the DRC’s Virunga National Park.

"It’s true in the ongoing operation and hot pursuit taking place in Virunga National Park, three of the six abducted students were rescued. In addition, a woman and two children were rescued from the bush," said Kulayigye. "All efforts are being made to ensure this group (ADF) is decimated, and those remaining children (students) are rescued."

Suspected ADF rebels attacked Lhubirira Secondary School in Mpondwe in the western district of Kasese, about 2 kilometers from the border with the DRC on June 16, killing at least 37 students, a security guard and three people of the local community, according to police and military sources.

At least six students were reportedly abducted by the rebels, and the other eight remained in critical condition and receiving treatment at Bwera Hospital.

The ADF, which is a branch of the Islamic State in Central Africa, is a Ugandan rebel group that is holed up in the jungles of eastern DRC. The rebel group is blamed for causing havoc in villages in eastern DRC.

The Ugandan military and their Congolese counterparts launched joint operations against the rebel group in November 2021, shortly after the ADF launched bomb attacks in Kampala, the capital of Uganda.