Mozambique expects foreign assistance in fighting Islamist groups in the wake of the Palma attack, a source in the national security forces told Sputnik
PEMBA (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th April, 2021) Mozambique expects foreign assistance in fighting Islamist groups in the wake of the Palma attack, a source in the national security forces told Sputnik.
In late March, Portuguese Foreign Minister Augusto Santos Silva said that the country was planning to send a team of 60 soldiers to Mozambique to train local troops.
"Not only Portugal, but also from other countries like US," the source said, when asked whether the country expects foreign instructors.
When asked what other countries have offered a helping hand, the source noted that a Southern African Development Community (SADC) troika summit gathered on Thursday to discuss Mozambique.
"The crucial objective of this summit was to discuss terrorism here in the north of Mozambique. So there were some results that we are all waiting for," the source added.
In a joint communique after the meeting, the SADC troika directed an "immediate technical deployment" to Mozambique. The mission is set to report back at the next extraordinary summit on April 29.
After a days-long attack in late March, jihadists announced seizure of Mozambique's gas-rich town of Palma, killing an unknown number of people and displacing some 14,000 others in the northern province of Cabo Delgado. On April 2, the police of Mozambique told Sputnik that there were no militants in the town any longer. The Islamic State terrorist group (banned in Russia) has claimed responsibility for the attack.
