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....
on Monday formally claimed an attack on the northern Mozambique gas town of Palma, in which dozens of people, including foreign workers, were killed.
This particular branch has many names: Islamic State West Africa Province-Mozambique (ISCAP), Ahlu Sunnah Wa-Jama (ASWJ - Adepts of the Prophetic Tradition), shorter Ansar al-Sunna (Supporters of the Tradition), and informally as Al Shabaab-Mozambique. Appearing in Mozambique in 2015 with Tanzanian leadership, they hired members of Somali Al Shabaab to teach them jihading skillz, then split into various cells. They fund themselves through heroin, contraband, the ivory trade, and the usual raiding...
The group made the claim on its Amaq news agency, saying its fighters had taken control of the town after days of festivities with security forces, and said it had killed at least 55 people including soldiers, destroyed buildings and seized vehicles.The government confirmed on Sunday that dozens of people had been killed in the attack on Palma, adjacent to gas developments worth $60 billion, which began on Wednesday.
They included at least one South African citizen. Britannia's Times newspaper reported that a Brit had died.
The SITE Intelligence Group said Islamic State had described the foreign nationals as contractors and also provided a photograph taken in Palma.
Palma is located in the province of Cabo Delgado, home since 2017 to a simmering Islamist insurgency linked to Islamic State.
| All Africa adds: |
The terrorists, known locally as "Al Shabaab", launched a three pronged attack on Wednesday afternoon against Palma, and sporadic clashes continued for the next three days.
According to "Carta de Mocambique", the Mozambican offensive on Sunday involved ground and naval units, with air support. It was successful in driving the terrorists out of the town.
One of the paper's sources said "The insurgents are running away. They've run out of ammunition and food, and they're fleeing towards the Rovuma river (the border with Tanzania)".
But the paper claimed that terrorist reinforcements are arriving, and clashes have resumed in the vicinity of Palma.
One particularly alarming report came from the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) , which said "at least 12 South African citizens" are believed to be part of the group that attacked Palma.
The radio claimed that many South African security experts are calling for SADC (Southern African Development Community) to intervene and counter the possibility of any terror attacks on South Africa.
The Senior Training Coordinator at the South African Institute of Security Studies (ISS), Willem Els, said the islamist raids in Mozambique pose a huge threat to South Africa, both politically and economically.
A South African police spokesperson, he said, had admitted there were at least 12 South Africans fighting with the Islamic State terrorists in Mozambique. "That gives you an indication that they are very active in their recruitment here in South Africa", he told SABC. "Unfortunately, it will have a spin-off in South Africa; not only on the political front, but also on the economic front as you can see lots of South Africans are working there (in Cabo Delgado)."
[PUBLISH.TWITTER]
Thousands of survivors of coordinated attacks in Mozambique’s Palma town were arriving in Pemba on boats, according to sources in the city https://t.co/AZD8cTKANA pic.twitter.com/BZLOJoj7bz
— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) March 29, 2021