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At least 15 killed in eastern Congo by suspected Islamist terrorists
[Jpost] Suspected Islamist hard boyz killed at least 15 people overnight in eastern Congo, local officials said on Saturday, in the latest massacre since the army launched a major offensive against the rebels last month.Democratic Republic of the Congo  ...formerly the Congo Free State, Belgian Congo, Zaire, and who knows what else, not to be confused with the Brazzaville Congo aka Republic of Congo, which is much smaller and much more (for Africa) stable. DRC gave the world Patrice Lumumba and Joseph Mobutu, followed by years of tedious civil war. Its principle industry seems to be the production of corpses. With a population of about 74 million it has lots of raw material... 's army initiated its latest campaign, with support from U.N. peacekeepers, on Oct. 30 to root out fighters from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) from the dense forests near the Ugandan border. As was the case during previous military operations against the ADF, its fighters have retaliated by attacking civilians, killing more than 40 since last week, according to local civil society activists. Attacks blamed by the government on the ADF have killed hundreds of civilians since 2014. The attacks on Friday in and around the village of Mbau were carried out with bladed weapons, local officials said. Among the eight victims in Mbau were six members of a single family. Seven members of a Pygmy ethnic group living in the nearby forest were also killed, officials said. Their bodies were found tied up and their throats had been slit. "The rebels are attacking civilians in order to spread confusion and panic among the population," said Donat Kibwana, the regional administrator in the nearby city of Beni. Mbau residents said it had taken many hours for soldiers based nearby to respond, a common complaint after attacks in the area. Army officials were not immediately available for comment. Researchers and rights groups say some Congolese soldiers and other rebel groups have also participated in massacres since 2014 for a variety or motives often related to competition for power in lawless zones dominated by dozens of militia groups. Several of the previous attacks by the ADF, which was founded in Uganda in 1995, have been claimed by Islamic State  ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allaharound with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not reallyMoslems.... , but the extent of their relationship remains unclear. The ADF is not known to have publicly pledged loyalty to Islamic State. Related: Congo: 2019-11-13 Lethal infections claim four lives in Karachi Congo: 2019-10-27 Four Burundian journalists charged with undermining state security Congo: 2019-10-19 WHO hails 'triumph' as Merck's Ebola vaccine gets EU green light Related: Allied Democratic Forces: 2019-06-05 Islamic State claims deadly attack in east Congo's Ebola zone Allied Democratic Forces: 2019-05-29 22 Released from 'Islamic State Kidnapping' in DR Congo Allied Democratic Forces: 2019-04-19 First time ever The Islamic State claims an attack in Congo Posted by: trailing wife 2019-11-17 |
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