About two months ago, in the port city of thirty thousand people known as Mocimboa da Praia was overrun and taken over by ISIS linked militants known as Ansar al-Sunna. Locals refer to them as Al-Shabaab though they are distinct from the Somali Islamist group. Though some foreign fighters, many from Somalia, are members of Ansar al-Sunna, most are local Mozambicans and their insurgency in the northern province of Cabo Delgado has been going on since early 2017.
Since the insurgency began, Mocimboa da Praia had actually been attacked repeatedly including earlier this year in March when Islamist militants actually took over the city, burned down government buildings and then redistributed all of the looted goods to the people before leaving. However in mid-August the militants attacked the city by land and sea and after the government troops ran out of ammuniton (the Mozambicans were so low on munitions they had to contract a South African Security company that specializes in demining and anti-poaching operations to supply them with ammunition via helicopter air drops) the Jihadists were able to capture the entire city and have remained in control of it for the past two months.
www.dailymaverick.co.za
Over one hundred Mozambican troops (over half were killed in a single ambush) and a slightly smaller number of insurgents were killed in the several days long offensive and the Islamist militants soon captured other nearby villages and islands (including notably one tourist island) though apparently no foreigners were killed or captured. By late September the Mozambican forces seemed to unfuck themselves enough to actually halt the Jihadist Rebel advances and actually defended some of the villages that were being attacked as well as recapturing some islands thanks to the use of technology like helicopters. Apparently helicopters are great at destroying sail and oar powered wooden vessels which the insurgents used in their island hopping amphibious campaigns.
allafrica.com
Estimates are that there were about a thousand insurgents invested in the capture of the strategic port city (the surrounding area has investments by foreign energy firms ranging upwards of sixty billion dollars) and the number of combatants can be considered surprisingly low. In one recent battle Mozambican forces actually outnumbered the insurgents 200 to 80 and thankfully won that skirmish. With the number of insurgency casualties rising perhaps the Jihad will pewter out due to a lack of warm bodies, but who knows.
On September 26th Mozambique actually stated they had control of the city, despite not actually having any physical presence in said city. And just over a week ago, on October 14th, this same militant group engaged in a 300 strong cross border attack into Tanzania, attacking the town of Kitaya and killing twenty civilians and two Tanzanian soldiers... as well as apparently capturing a military truck they showed off in social media videos.
www.thecitizen.co.tz
Since the insurgency began, Mocimboa da Praia had actually been attacked repeatedly including earlier this year in March when Islamist militants actually took over the city, burned down government buildings and then redistributed all of the looted goods to the people before leaving. However in mid-August the militants attacked the city by land and sea and after the government troops ran out of ammuniton (the Mozambicans were so low on munitions they had to contract a South African Security company that specializes in demining and anti-poaching operations to supply them with ammunition via helicopter air drops) the Jihadists were able to capture the entire city and have remained in control of it for the past two months.
Mocimboa da Praia: Islamic State insurgents recapture strategic port town
Sources said Mocimboa da Praia was now under total insurgent control and the invaders were likely to remain in control for a long time.
www.dailymaverick.co.za
Over one hundred Mozambican troops (over half were killed in a single ambush) and a slightly smaller number of insurgents were killed in the several days long offensive and the Islamist militants soon captured other nearby villages and islands (including notably one tourist island) though apparently no foreigners were killed or captured. By late September the Mozambican forces seemed to unfuck themselves enough to actually halt the Jihadist Rebel advances and actually defended some of the villages that were being attacked as well as recapturing some islands thanks to the use of technology like helicopters. Apparently helicopters are great at destroying sail and oar powered wooden vessels which the insurgents used in their island hopping amphibious campaigns.
Mozambique: Mozambican Forces Claim Death of 270 Terrorists
The Mozambican defence and security forces claim to have killed 270 islamist terrorists in the region of Awasse, in Mocimboa da Praia district, in the northern province of Cabo Delgado, according to the website "Noticias de Defesa de Mocambique", which acts as an unofficial mouthpiece for the...
allafrica.com
Estimates are that there were about a thousand insurgents invested in the capture of the strategic port city (the surrounding area has investments by foreign energy firms ranging upwards of sixty billion dollars) and the number of combatants can be considered surprisingly low. In one recent battle Mozambican forces actually outnumbered the insurgents 200 to 80 and thankfully won that skirmish. With the number of insurgency casualties rising perhaps the Jihad will pewter out due to a lack of warm bodies, but who knows.
On September 26th Mozambique actually stated they had control of the city, despite not actually having any physical presence in said city. And just over a week ago, on October 14th, this same militant group engaged in a 300 strong cross border attack into Tanzania, attacking the town of Kitaya and killing twenty civilians and two Tanzanian soldiers... as well as apparently capturing a military truck they showed off in social media videos.
Tanzania confirms terror attacks at border village of Kitaya
The Inspector general of Police Simon Sirro has confirmed that some 300 militants from Mozambique attacked Kitaya village last week killing several people and destroying property.
www.thecitizen.co.tz
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