Southern African Development Community (SADC) forces have captured a military base occupied by Islamic State-linked insurgents in Mozambique’s Cabo Delgado since 2017, the SADC mission announced on Wednesday.
The SADC Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM) said its forces, in support of Mozambique’s Defence and Security Forces (FDS), “launched an offensive operation, which led to the capture of an Al Sunnah wa Jama’ah (ASWJ) insurgents’ stronghold base south of Messalo River.”
“Concurrently, the forces in Nangade District cleared a hideout which had been occupied by the insurgents since the beginning of the conflict,” SAMIM said in a statement.
During this offensive, SAMIM forces rescued four elderly women who were then handed over to national authorities, the statement added.
Light and heavy weapons were seized after being left behind by the insurgents, while SAMIM forces also discovered a significant volume of military training materials.
SADC has deployed an intervention force to help FDS repel ASWJ insurgents who have caused havoc in Mozambique’s northern-most Cabo Delgado province since October 2017.
JN/APA