Islamic State claimed the first attack in DR Congo saying it killed soldiers near Uganda border

Islamic State on Thursday, April 18 claimed that it killed Congolese soldiers in an attack in Kamango near the border between Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.

A message posted by its Amaq propaganda agency said there were Congolese army “dead and wounded” following an attack by ISIS fighters in the town of Kamango near the border.

It was not immediately clear if the attack occurred, or when, and how many casualties there were. Islamic State is known to exaggerate its casualty counts.

If confirmed, it would be the first attack in DR Congo that ISIS central has acknowledged.

As in other areas, Islamic State does not have an affiliate that is an official wilayat, or province, in DR Congo, but has tentative links to the Allied Democratic Forces, a Ugandan-led militant group founded in 1995 with the stated goal of overthrowing the Ugandan government and creating an Islamic state.

Some time after 2012, the ADF adopted the Madina at Tauheed Wau Mujahedeen (MTM) – the City of Monotheism and Holy warriors, according to the Congo Research Group, which has argued the ADF has been “making a tentative attempt to align itself with other militant Islamist groups.”

The ADF operates in the border area in the DRC’s North Kivu province, an area where other armed groups are also active. The government has often blamed the ADF for killings, robberies and kidnappings, but numerous other armed groups operate in the region and sometimes it is unclear who the true assailants are.

The ADF is thought to have killed at least 700 civilians and more than 20 United Nations peacekeepers.

The ADF was believed to be behind an attack that killed seven people on February 8, was blamed for killing 10 soldiers and civilians on January 9, and nine people in an attack on January 9, all in the Beni region of North Kivu.

Source: DP