Details of the attack on Palma: How the terrorists tricked their way in – Carta de Moçambique

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Details of the attack on Palma: How the terrorists tricked their way in – Carta de Moçambique

2:34 CAT | 26 Mar 2021

FILE - For illustration. [File photo,modified: Ciivilinfo]

The insurgents used tactics to enter the town of Palma on Wednesday.

They blocked the Pundanhar crossing to prevent the FDS from reinforcing with troops from Mueda, and then attacked the village of Manguna.

Why Manguna? Because from there, the only way for the population to seek refuge would be to flee towards Palma.

For a few months now, Palma has been a town practically under siege, with only those with a sort of ‘guia de marcha’ allowed in. But, with shots fired in the air and people on the run, such procedures were practically a dead letter.

That is exactly what happened. At around 4:00 p.m., victims of the Manguna attack started arriving in Palma with their bundles. It was an emergency situation. Because of the attack, the FDS mobilised for Manguna, leaving Palma with diminished protection and its doors wide open.

The terrorists were also entering Palma with their bundles, having infiltrated the Manguna fugitives. Once inside Palma, they opened them up, pulled out their weapons and started attacking military and civilian targets.

Fighting was centred in the area near the Catholic church and the BCI bank branch. The magnitude of the damage and loss of human life is still unknown.

By around 4:00 p.m., on Wednesday, the Vodacom network had been cut off. Everything planned down to the millimetre Shots were fired at a plane descending to the local aerodrome. By 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, those taking refuge in the city’s main hotel (which has a helipad) could hear scattered shots.

It is estimated that as many as 100 terrorists were involved in the attack, a measure of the sophistication of its planning. DAG mercenaries were involved in the fighting, dropping bombs on the terrorists.

On Thursday, a 6-seater DAG helicopter began to evacuate the approximately 200 people hiding in the hotel, taking them to Total’s camp in Afungi. Those having access to the fights included expatriates and Mozambican bank employees. By Thursday afternoon, the army was sending reinforcements from Maputo, including Marines.

Carta obtained these details from several sources.

By Marcelo Mosse

Source: Carta de Moçambique