The Uganda Tourism Board has set up a specialist tourism police force as part of counter-terrorism measures, amid warnings of attacks by Somalia’s Al-Qaeda-linked Shebab.

“The tourism police is important because it counters threats of terrorists who might want to target the country’s tourists when they are on safari in the country,” reported police spokesman Patrick Onyango, as the first officers entered into tourism protection service.

Tourism is rated as the east African nation’s second largest foreign exchange earner, estimated to be worth $662-million a year, according to official statistics.

Uganda this week issued renewed warnings that Shebab extremists were plotting to use fuel tankers as bombs “to cause extensive damage to people and property”. Looking at previous damages, the Shebab bombers killed at least 76 people in restaurants in the capital Kampala in 2010, in retaliation after Uganda contributed troops to the African Union force fighting the Islamists in Somalia.

“The tourism police is almost a stand alone force, but under the remit of counter-terrorism” unit, Onyango added. Forces have been deployed in areas visited by tourists including all the national parks, cultural sites, communities neighboring tourism sites and major hotels in the country.”

An attack in 1999 by Rwandan Hutu rebels on Uganda’s Bwindi gorilla safari park, where tourists failed to track endangered mountain gorillas, hit the country’s tourism sector hard. Eight foreign tourists and four Ugandans were killed in that attack, which event cannot happen again at all cost.

Over 300 new officers for the force will graduate later Friday, although Onyango said he could not give the total size of the team for security reasons.

Uganda’s Minister for Tourism Maria Mutagamba said the force was to “guarantee safety for tourists” by boosting security as part of “expanded anti-terror surveillance in Uganda.”