Hundreds of Ugandan troops cross into Congo as offensive widens

FILE PHOTO: Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) soldiers rest next to a road after Islamist rebel group called the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) attacked area around Mukoko village, North Kivu province of Democratic Republic of Congo, December 11, 2018. REUTERS/Goran Tomasevic/File Photo

BENI, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) - Hundreds of Ugandan soldiers in armoured vehicles crossed the border into eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Wednesday, two witnesses said, as a joint offensive against an Islamic State-linked armed group appeared to expand.

Late on Tuesday Congo said special forces from both countries would be deployed to secure bases belonging to the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) militia, which had been targeted by air and artillery strikes earlier in the day.