Islamic State terrorists attacked town housing foreign workers in Mozambique

Foreign contractors working on Africa’s biggest gas project are trapped in their hotel in northern Mozambique after militants aligned with Islamic State overran the town serving the site.

The attack on the coastal hub of Palma is the most brazen yet in the insurgency that has engulfed the far north of the country and killed more than 2,600 people since 2017.

State security forces this morning launched an offensive in Palma, which witnesses said was “under siege”. Omar Saranga, from the ministry of defence said its troops were “pursuing the enemy’s movement” and working “tirelessly to restore security and order”.

Terrified residents fled to nearby forests as two groups of militants plundered banks and hotels and attacked a police checkpoint.

Source: The Times