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2021-03-29 Africa Subsaharan
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Who are Al-Shabab militants terrorising northern Mozambique
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[Al Ahram] Militants who seized the northern Mozambique town of Palma this week, murdering residents and forcing energy giant Total to suspend work on a nearby gas project, have wreaked havoc in the area for more than three years.
Here is a snapshot of the hard boys:
-ORIGINS-
In October 2017, about 30 gunnies launched a dawn raid on three cop shoppes in Mocimboa da Praia,
| ...the “capitol” of Islamic State West Africa Province-Mozambique (ISCAP), or more colloquially Al Shabaab. It’s not connected in any way to Somalia’s Al Shabaab, which looks to Al Qaeda, or Nigeria’s Boko Haram, also known as Islamic State West Africa Province, and may or may not be retreating in disarray... |
a port city in the province of Cabo Delgado, a predominantly Moslem region bordering Tanzania.
Continued from Page 1
"We all knew they were dangerous, but we never thought they were capable of waging a war," said a local imam who was then based in Mocimboa da Praia -- about 80 kilometres south of Palma.
Three years later, the conflict has taken root and the group Ahlu Sunnah Wa-Jama (ASWJ),
| ...Ansar al-Sunna (Supporters of the tradition), known formally as “Ahlu Sunnah Wa-Jamo" (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... |
has triggered a humanitarian crisis akin to the end of Mozambique's 1977-1992 civil war.
Their attacks have left at least 2,600 people dead, half of them civilians, and uprooted nearly 700,000 people.
Last year the jihadists grew bolder, escalating attacks and posting brazen videos of unmasked fighters waving black flags and pledging allegiance to ISIS.
In August last year they seized the town of Mocimboa da Praia again and are still in control.
- PALMA ATTACK-
Their tactics have involved burning villages and beheading locals as Mozambican troops struggle to regain ground in the remote, forested province, despite help from private military companies.
Today the murderous Moslems are in control of Palma, a town just 10 kilometres (six miles) from the nerve centre of the mega gas project that represents one of the biggest investments in Africa, led by the French energy group Total.
Armed murderous Moslems moved in on Palma, a coastal town of 75,000 people, from three different direction on the afternoon of March 24. Locals and some 200 workers fled.
Institute for Security Studies (ISS) senior researcher Martin Ewi says authorities knew of the imminent attack "because there was intelligence that an attack was going to occur at least for three days before", but did nothing to prevent it.
Witnesses told Human Rights Watch they "fired indiscriminately at people and buildings", leaving several bodies lying on the street.
The violent mostly peaceful, calculated raid broke a three-month hiatus in Islamist attacks widely attributed to counter-insurgency tactics and the January to March rainy season.
The attack came exactly two weeks after the US State Department labelled the group known also as al-Shabaab
 ...... the Islamic version of the old Somali warlord...
, an IS-linked terror group, saying it "reportedly pledged allegiance to (IS) as early as April 2018".
It blacklisted Abu Yasir Hassan,
| ... also known as Yaseer Hassan and Abu Qasim, the possibly 40-ish Tanzanian religious leader moved between Mocimboa da Praia and jihadis in the Congo until 2015. The Tanzanian authorities believe he died some time after that, though the Americans strongly disagree... |
saying he was the leader of ISIS-Mozambique.
- 'GROWN IN SOPHISTICATION' -
Thousands of troops have been deployed to Cabe Delgado, but Mozambique's ability to fight the insurgency has long been questioned, with analysts pointing at poor training and lack of equipment.
Government has hired a South African private military company Dyck Advisory Group (DAG), which is also reportedly discreetly being assisted by the Russian mercenaries, Wagner.
The HRW watchdog accused the krazed killers, government troops and private military companies of "war crimes" by causing hundreds of civilian deaths.
The US announced this month that American military personnel would spend two months training soldiers in Mozambique to help the country fight the jihadist insurgency.
Alexander Raymakers, senior Africa analyst at the UK-based risk intelligence firm Verisk Maplecroft, suggested the murderous Moslems had "used a lull in the fighting" to prepare a "high profile" operation.
"It's a clear demonstration that ASWJ has steadily increased its military capabilities, grown in sophistication and retains the initiative." 
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Posted by Fred 2021-03-29 00:00||
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File under: al-Shabaab (IS-Mozambique)
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Posted by Voldemort Omeater6755 2021-03-29 08:45||
2021-03-29 08:45||
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Posted by trailing wife 2021-03-29 12:13||
2021-03-29 12:13||
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