Kampala, Feb 9 : The bodies of 18 soldiers from other African countries killed in the conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) were transported to Uganda for post-mortem examinations, an official said.

The remains of the deceased soldiers, who were part of the Southern African Development Community Mission in the DRC (SAMIDRC), were transported overland and taken to the Mulago National Referral Hospital mortuary in Kampala for autopsy, Henry Okello Oryem, Uganda's minister of state for foreign affairs in charge of international cooperation, told Xinhua by telephone.

Oryem said the remains of the 13 slain South African, three Malawian and two Tanzanian troops will be processed and repatriated to their respective countries, Xinhua news agency reported.

"The bodies of fallen soldiers from the different countries that were brought to Uganda will be processed through our health system with the help of the United Nations Regional Service Center in Entebbe," said Oryem.

"After processing, the remains will then be dispatched to their respective countries," he added.

The evacuation of the slain soldiers directly from the DRC to their respective countries was affected by damage to Goma Regional Airport, forcing authorities to arrange overland transport to Uganda, where the bodies will be flown back home through Entebbe International Airport, about 40 km from the capital, Kampala.

The deceased troops were part of SAMIDRC, deployed to support and assist the DRC in restoring peace, security and stability.

The soldiers were killed late last month following the advance, escalation of hostilities and capture of Goma, the North Kivu provincial capital in eastern DRC, by the March 23 Movement rebels.

/IANS