Maputo — Islamist terrorists invaded last Monday Pangane locality, in the administrative post of Mucojo, Macomia district, in the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado, according to the independent newsheet "Carta de Moçambique.'
According to local sources, cited by the paper, the terrorists beat three young men with sticks, one for selling cigarettes, another for drinking alcohol and the third for being drunk.
The terrorists had not been seen for almost two weeks in the small town of Pangane, since the Mozambican Defense and Security Forces (FDS) had intensified operations against their bases on the coast of Macomia district, which resulted on the killing of their leader, Bonomade Machude Omar, along with other senior members of the group.
Some reports suggest that Monday's attackers consisted of a group of around a hundred terrorists. They held a meeting with the population, asking them to maintain good relations with the jihadists, but also forced them to sell various food products in order to boost the terrorist logistics.
"They remained in Pangane for at least five hours and said they had no orders to kill civilians. During the raid, they sent out a message of peace, suggesting that more people should return to their homes, but warned that they were ready to respond to any provocations from the FDS', sources said.
Since July 2021, the Mozambican defense and security forces, with support from Rwanda and the Southern African Development Community Mission in Mozambique (SAMIM), have been liberating districts previously occupied by the Jihadists, notably Mocímboa da Praia and the neighboring district of Palma.
