Islamic State group claims it inflicted casualties and took a prisoner in northern Mozambique

Login

Register

http://www.clubofmozambique.com/

Islamic State group claims it inflicted casualties and took a prisoner in northern Mozambique

4:02 CAT | 18 Oct 2019

FILE: For illustration purposes only. [File photo: Lusa]

The jihadist group Islamic State (IS) has claimed today that it repelled a military attack on one of its positions in northern Mozambique in a clash in which it inflicted several casualties and took a prisoner.

The information is conveyed in Islamic State’s al-Naba newsletter.

So far, analysts and field sources in the field contacted by Lusa have rejected any connection between the attacks in the north of the country and international Islamic terrorist movements, pointing rather to local tensions in communities as the cause of the violence.

The terrorist organisation says its men in Mozambique’s northern Cabo Delgado province, who claim to be part of the Central African Caliphate, “repelled an attack on their positions” by “soldiers from the Mozambican and Russian armies” in the Mbau area of Mocimboa da Praia on Sunday 13 October.

“The clashes resulted in the deaths of several soldiers, and injuries to many of them,” IS announces, adding that it had taken a prisoner and collected “weapons and ammunition” that the military “left behind” in their retreat.

The Mozambican Ministry of Defense announced yesterday that it had carried out an artillery attack on Wednesday, after the clash described by the Islamic State, and succeeded in neutralising several members of the armed groups.

In statements to Lusa, Russia has denied having any military personnel on Mozambican soil, Mozambican Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation José Pacheco having announced two weeks ago that Russian support concerned only the provision of military equipment.

The area, referred to both as Nbau and Mbau, was the scene of clashes on 23 September following an attack claimed by the jihadist group in which 10 people were killed and several houses were burned down, including the headquarters of the Mozambican Liberation Front (Frelimo), the ruling party.

Since October 2017, parts of Cabo Delgado have been affected by armed attacks which erupted in Mocímboa da Praia, carried out by unidentified groups allegedly born in mosques in the region.

At least 250 people have died as a result, almost all in isolated villages and the bush, but some violence has hit transport on the region’s main tarred road, as well as near gas exploitation megaprojects, which employ some Portuguese subcontractors.

Officials and analysts canvassed by Lusa have said it is unlikely that there is any genuine ISIS involvement in the attacks, beyond perhaps some contact with movements on the ground.

The National Election Commission estimates that 5,400 voters in the region were unable to vote in Tuesday’s general elections because they had fled their places of residence and lost their possessions, including documents, in raids by armed groups.

#Mozambique ISIS in al Naba 204 claims clash with Russian and Mozambique special Forces in Mubao area in Cabo Delgado province. The Russian special forces are supporting Mozambique Army in hunting for ISIS since Sept. 2019@IsraelMFA @IDF @MFS @Jasminechic00 @rnovoa pic.twitter.com/ROjk0XmyTX

— Unofficial ✡MOSSAD✡ (@MossadNews) October 18, 2019

Islamic State ISIS has published its weekly newspaper Al-Naba’s 204’th issue. In this weekly newspaper terrorist group ISIS declared clashes with #Mozambique and #Russian Armed forces in province of Cabo Delgado on October 13. According to ISIS they killed several soldiers. pic.twitter.com/Xz6RvUHeAp

— Conflict Intelligence Network ? (@ConflictTeam) October 18, 2019