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Is IS Gaining Foothold in Mozambique?

Sirwan Kajjo

   A recent attack claimed by the Islamic State (IS) terror group in a
   northern province in Mozambique signals a growing presence of extremist
   groups in the southeast African country, experts contend.
   IS claimed responsibility for an attack May 28 in the Cabo Delgado
   region, where a gunfight between government soldiers and Islamist
   militants left at least 16 people dead and a dozen wounded.

   Mozambican officials have declined to comment on the incident.
   Since 2017, Islamist insurgents have carried out similar attacks
   against the military and local residents in the impoverished,
   Muslim-majority Cabo Delgado region. More than 200 people have been
   killed and dozens of villages burned down by Islamist extremists in the
   past two years, according to local sources.

   The growing violence continues despite a heavy police and military
   presence in Cabo Delgado and other northern areas of the country.

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