At least thirty suspected jihadists have been killed in northern Mozambique in a military operation launched by the Southern African Development Community mission (SAMIM).
The operation occurred in the woods of Nkonga village in the district of Nangade, north of Cabo Delgado.
SAMIM, deployed as part of Maputo’s effort to combat terrorism and extremism in northern Mozambique, said that weapons used by the reported terrorists have been recovered. The regional mission announced the loss of two of its soldiers from Botswana and Tanzania, respectively.
According to media reports, extremist groups which declared themselves aligned with Daesh* used to carry out terrorist attacks on locals and military facilities in the district of Nangade, where they still have strongholds.
Since 2017, Mozambique’s northern province of Cabo Delgado has witnessed a surge of attacks by alleged terrorist groups that have killed over 3,000 people and displaced over 800,000. The conflict has also resulted in the closure and freezing of several national and international gas projects in the region.
In July 2021, forces from the Southern African Development Community were deployed in the province to support Mozambique in its fight. Recently, Mozambican military forces have regained control over the northern Cabo Delgado region with the help of the SAMIM troops.
Earlier this week, the Mozambican port of Mocimboa da Praia on the Indian Ocean received its first ship after being completely shuttered due to jihadist occupation for almost three years. Operations at the port have resumed after the government forces restored security in the region.
*Daesh (also known as Islamic State/ISIS/IS) is a terror group, banned in Russia