The situation in Mozambique’s north is incredibly dire, as ISIS has tightened its grip further on the region.
Fierce fighting for control of Mozambique’s strategic northern town of Palma left beheaded bodies strewn in the streets, with heavily armed rebels battling army, police and a private military outfit in several locations.
Thousands were estimated to be missing from the town, which held about 70,000 people before the attack began on March 24th.
ISIS claimed responsibility. It said that the terrorists now control Palma’s banks, government offices, factories and army barracks, and that more than 55 people, including Mozambican army troops, Christians and foreigners were killed. It did not provide further detail on the dead.
In earlier March, the United States declared Mozambique’s rebels to be a terrorist organization and announced it had sent military specialists to help train the Mozambican military to combat them.
“ISIS-Mozambique, also known as Ansar al-Sunna (and locally as al-Shabaab in Mozambique), among other names, reportedly pledged allegiance to ISIS as early as April 2018, and was acknowledged by ISIS-Core as an affiliate in August 2019. Since October 2017, ISIS-Mozambique, led by Abu Yasir Hassan, has killed more than 1,300 civilians, and it is estimated that more than 2,300 civilians, security force members, and suspected ISIS-Mozambique militants have been killed since the terrorist group began its violent extremist insurgency. The group was responsible for orchestrating a series of large scale and sophisticated attacks resulting in the capture of the strategic port of Mocimboa da Praia, Cabo Delgado Province. ISIS-Mozambique’s attacks have caused the displacement of nearly 670,000 persons within northern Mozambique.”
Save The Children said that ISIS left horrific scenes of beheaded children in Palma.
Palma is the center of a multi-billion-dollar investment by Total, the France-based oil and gas company, to extract liquified natural gas from offshore sites in the Indian Ocean. The gas deposits are estimated to be among the world’s largest and the investment by Total and others is reported to be $20 billion, one of the largest in Africa.
Total, hoping to resume operational activities on this project soon (the original goal was to make it operational by 2024), announced that, under the current circumstances, it suspends them.
The battle for Palma forced Total to evacuate its large, fortified site 10 kilometers outside of the city. 6,000-10,000 people were near or inside Total’s gas plant, according to a source involved in the evacuation operation. They arrived in waves, knocking on the gates of this well-guarded facility, comparable with a “besieged stronghold”, said a British security expert.
On March 29th, the town was completely lost and fighting was happening throughout, according to Lionel Dyck, director of the Dyck Advisory Group, a private military company contracted by the Mozambican police to help fight the rebels.
“There is fighting in the streets, in pockets across the town,” Dyck told The Associated Press. The Dyck group has several helicopter gunships in Palma which have been used to rescue trapped civilians and to fight the rebels.
“My guys are airborne and they’ve engaged several little groups and they’ve engaged one quite large group,” Dyck said. “They’ve landed into the fight to recover a couple of wounded policemen. … We have also rescued many people who were trapped, 220 people at last count.”
The rebels are well-armed with AK-47 automatic rifles, RPD and PKM machine guns and heavy mortars, Dyck said.
“This attack is not a surprise. We’ve been expecting Palma to be whacked the moment the rains stopped and the fighting season started, which is now,” he said.
“They have been preparing for this. They’ve had enough time to get their ducks in a row. They have a notch up in their ability. They’re more aggressive. They’re using their mortars.” He said many were wearing black uniforms.
“There have been lots of beheadings. Right up on day one, our guys saw the drivers of trucks bringing rations to Palma. Their bodies were by the trucks. Their heads were off.”
Dyck said it will not be easy for the Mozambican government to regain control of Palma.
“They must get sufficient troops to sweep through the town, going house-to-house and clean each one out. That’s the most difficult phase of warfare in the book,” Dyck said. “It will be very difficult unless there’s a competent force put in place with good command and control to retake that town. It can be done. But it ain’t going to be easy.”
More NGOs are calling for action in Cabo Delgado.
“The attack on Palma has made a bad humanitarian situation worse,” said Jonathan Whittall, director of analysis for Doctors Without Borders, which is working to help the displaced around Pemba, the provincial capital 160 km south of Palma.
“Across Cabo Delgado, the situation was already extremely worrying for those displaced by violence and for those who are in areas that are difficult for humanitarian assistance to reach,” Whittall said. “This attack on Palma has led to more displacement and will increase the needs that have to be addressed as a matter of urgency.”
“For too long northern Mozambique has been a neglected humanitarian crisis,” Whittall said.
Hundreds of thousands displaced, children, women and men beheaded on the streets, hundreds being killed in clashes and attacks in the north, and there was close to no action.
As soon as Total’s $20-billion project was endangered, the entire international community began screaming foul and priming the begin action.
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Let me predict that Mozambique will now have to be militarily occupied by Amerikastan to “protect it from ISIS”. That’s the whole point, isn’t it?
I doubt it sir. the US will only get involved when the enemy is one that can’t fight back. Plus the US would need another cowardly “coalition of the willing” – in other words, lapdogs and lackeys who are only brave when following Uncle Shmuel. This time, it looks like the French are by themselves protecting their multi-billion euro investment.
And who the hell do you think controls ISIS? if is true that the french have no reasource$$$$ to exploit the gas field, the current situation guarantee that no one will be until US pull their proxies from the zone just like in Siria.
No America isn’t really getting involved you retard.
Russia is actually more involved.
Haha, good joke…
A private company with helicopter gunships?
I dont like how casually the helicopters were mentionned, how militarised are these contractors?
Im not too keen.on the idea of unaccountable corporations running around with airforces, armor and god knows what else, god forbid SAM systems.
For several wars now, it looks like the trend is using so-called “private military contractors.” These people are just highly paid mercenaries. Have you noticed that in all of the recent wars that the US has started, there has not been the need for conscription? People like Erik Prince, formerly of Blackwater and whatever other company names he uses, have become extremely wealthy using this new way of waging war. As they said in the Godfather movies, “it’s only business.”
Not having conscription is extremely part of the plan. Conscription forces the public to have what my American friend Carina calls “skin in the game”. If their own sons are in danger of being sent to die in Niger or Afghanistan, they’ll suddenly not be so eager for wars to fight.
There’s no equal opportunity requirements for PMCs. No need to give a job to a person based on their race, ethnicity or gender. Amazing how that industry completely avoids the legislation affecting every other Western business.
The US are deep into Africa for a few years now Peter, ISIS affiliates are popping up everywhere. They are the calling card of America, everywhere they turn up, the Yanks are in “after them”. It’s no surprise, given the US wants to control the energy projects globally.
I don’t think it’s so uncommon. South African/Rhodesian mercenary Neall Ellis basically won the civil war of Sierra Leone by himself, with help of his old Hind and a few gunners. Oh and that was already in 2000…
And the UN cried foul,forced “Executive Outcomes”(stupid name btw)out just when they were to overun the rebels,took over giving the rebels time to regroup and reach the gates of Freetown. fUckenNations
It’s the same pattern everywhere. Where there are terrorists being defeated, the UN will rush out and insist on “ceasefire”. Meanwhile, headchoppers will like you said regroup but also will be resupplied to commit genocide and other atrocities. Like in Yugoslavia, Yemen, Africa etc etc….
If you watch the video above you will hear that weird UN general himself saying that its all a joke.
Well it isn’t that hard to understand that the UN is a projection of the states it consists of. A sloth in a beurocratic shitswamp quick to act only when the interests of their elite are at stake.
Yemen head chopper? Who are they?
Foday Sankoh’s schoolchildren turned “soldiers” were a slightly different proposition from hardened jihadis.
Yes,but the men,black and white alike ex south African forces 32nd battalion etc battlehardend from Angola would still be more than a match for some jihadimonkeys not a walk in the park but doable.Although Savimbi would absolutely be the man for the job….
The “jihadmonkeys” were armed and trained in Amerikastani bases if not actual Amerikastanis and zionists under the balaclavas.
Very good thread from Mr.Pelton:
https://twitter.com/RYP__/status/1376619453509607428
Under the LNG bubble, heroin is a major export of Mozambique. You don’t need a degree in geography or logistics to figure out the importance of Mozambique in the supply chain. Or why talibs and militias control opium gum into Pakistan. 9.07.2018 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-44726227
Paramount and their partner Burnham Global are getting beat up on the back channel. That story has yet to come out.The Paramount sponsored Mi-24 flown by Ukrainian pilots rocketed and killed up to 60 GSF, then shot down the only Mi-17 intentionally. If DAG was actually effective this attack on Palma would never occurred! They also cannot fly at night only because they have no night capability.Under the LNG bubble, heroin is a major export of Mozambique. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/mar/29/total-chaos-survivors-tell-of-insurgent-attack-in-mozambique-palma
Mozambique has just recently signed major deals with China. Total and others don’t have $20 Billion . That’s just promised ventures. Mozambique has even received Sinopharm Chinese Covid vaccine.
Once the West/US couldn’t finish on their economic promises to Mozambique, it turned to China, which is in the process of making good on turning Mozambique into a most modern of African countries. Now the West, and their NGOs are crying foul, and using scorched Earth Isis, arming , training them to sabotage all China has worked for.
China must get involved militarily. But that would be a trap, and all of Africa would soon burn. These Westerners are a diabolical lot.
You are exactly right, they want us to believe that AK-47´s,RPD and PKM machine guns, and heavy mortars grows in trees so anyone could become and ISIS branch whenever they want, soon enough we will see the Toyota fleet crossing the Mozambique landscape because they are for free too…
Great analysis. But it wouldn’t be a trap for Africa, more a trap for Wahhabi diabolical monstrosities.
There many private military companies because Mozambique is a strategic place with large natural resources….among these military companies working for US interests are Academi ( military advisors) and above all the ISIS ( in charge of occupying territory)…
USA is spreading this Wahhabi branded rebranded whatever name they have like corona all ove rthe World.
Islam is cancer !!!
So is the DNC and fake liberalnazis…