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Insurgents change tactics as Mozambique seeks help
[DefenceWeb] Cabo Delgado province in Northern Mozambique has seen a dramatic spike in attacks in recent days, including a spectacular ‘hearts and minds’ operation by insurgents in the strategic coastal town of Mocímboa da Praia.

The town is close to Mozambique’s natural gas production installations. Several companies are reportedly now for the first time planning to evacuate some employees who hadn’t already left due to fears of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The ISIS-inspired Ahlu-Sunnah Wal Jama’at (Al-Sunnah)
...Ansar al-Sunna (supporters of the tradition), known formally as “Ahlu Sunnah Wa-Jamo” with various spellings of the final word (adepts of the prophetic tradition) and informally by the locals as Al Shabaab. Appearing in Mozambique in 2015, this particular Ansar al Sunna were originally followers of the radical Kenyan cleric Aboud Rogo, who was killed in 2012. They seem to be your standard takfiris, happily enforcing their Salafist rules on the surrounding populace. Apparently they hired members of Somali Al Shabaab to train them in jihading, then split into various cells. Ansar al-Sunna funds itself through heroin, contraband and the ivory trade...
attackers were met with little resistance, as there was only a handful of soldiers, some of them apparently asleep, at the time of the invasion.

The armed men burnt government property including buildings and military assets, banks and cars, but didn’t seem to go on a large-scale killing spree, as they’ve done since the insurgency began over two years ago. (The insurgents claimed to have killed several members of the security forces, but local authorities haven’t released any official figures of casualties.) Instead the attackers distributed food and then left the village, with some local inhabitants cheering them on.
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Posted by: badanov 2020-04-02
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=567542