PALMA, KOMPAS.com – ISIS stated on Monday (29/3/2021) that his party was the mastermind terrorist attack week in town Palma, Mozambique north, where dozens of people died.
ISIS attacked the city adjacent to the gas project valued at 60 billion US dollars (Rp. 869.8 trillion) starting Wednesday (24/3/2021).
Then, the terrorist attacks continued until Monday (29/3/2021), according to a security source who was directly involved in efforts to secure the city.
Launch Reuters on Monday (29/3/2021), ISIS claimed the attack through a news agency Amaq, saying his troops had taken control of the city after several days of clashes with security forces.
Also read: Militia Attack Cities in Mozambique, Beach Filled with Headless Corpses
It said ISIS militias had killed at least 55 people, including soldiers, destroyed and controlled buildings including factories and banks, and confiscated a number of vehicles.
So far Reuters could not independently verify ISIS’s statement.
Most of the communication to Palma was cut off since the beginning of the terrorist attack on Wednesday (24/3/2021).
Officials at Mozambique’s defense ministry and its national police could not be reached for comment by phone on Monday and did not immediately reply to text messages.
Also read: US Sanctions ISIS Group in Mozambique and Congo
The total number of people killed or missing in the aftermath of the attacks claimed by ISIS remains unclear. Tens of thousands of people may have fled, according to three aid workers.
The government confirmed on Sunday (28/3/2021) that dozens of people had died, without giving exact figures.
Among those killed were 7 people in the convoy of cars ambushed by the militia. The cars were trying to rescue people who were besieged at the hotel on Friday (26/3/2021).
Nick Alexander, a British-South African contractor, was one of the survivors in the convoy, his daughter Jayde, who lives in Johannesburg, told Reuterss via WhatsApp.
Also read: Story of Mother in Mozambique Giving Birth While Hunted by Extremists
Before being rescued, Alexander spent 2 nights crawling in the bush after militia ambushed a convoy of cars.
“He’s alive and well and on his way home,” said Jayde.
Many people fled to the beach in the hope of being rescued, said another security source connected to government allied forces.
Boats took them to the provincial capital, Pemba, about 240 kilometers to the south, said an aid worker.
Also read: ISIS bailed out and mutilated 50 people on a Mozambique soccer field
Previously reported by Kompas.com, the witness revealed that the beach was filled with a headless corpse while he was hiding while waiting for a rescue ship.
The maritime traffic tracking website reported that many ships were passing around Palma to the Port of Pemba.
This is because many local residents have tried to flee on board cargo ships, passenger ships and tugboats to save themselves from further terrorist attacks.
Mozambique’s northernmost province, Cabo Delgado, where Palma is located on the border with Tanzania, since 2017 has indeed been home to rebels now linked to ISIS.
Also read: Pope Francis Arrives in Mosul, the City Destroyed by ISIS, This Is His Prayer
– .
