Maputo — The peasant militia known as "naparamas' on Friday killed two Islamist terrorists near the Megaruma River, which separates the districts of Chiúre and Ancuabe, in the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado.

According to Wednesday's issue of the independent newssheet "Carta de Moçambique', citing local sources, during the confrontation with the terrorists, two members of the local force were also wounded and evacuated to the provincial hospital in the city of Pemba.

On the other hand, heavy gunfire from the Mozambican Armed Forces (FADM), intended to keep the terrorists away from Ibo Island, caused panic among the residents, most of whom spent a sleepless night.

The military operation was under way in response to the threat posed by the jihadists to Ibo, after their Sunday morning raid against the nearby island of Quirimba.

"A lot of people here were scared because of the terrorists', one source said. "According to the reports we received, they want to enter Ibo Island. All night long, all we heard was the sound of weapons, including heavy artillery'.

Due to this situation, some members of the government and of NGOs on Ibo were evacuated on Sunday by helicopter and motorboat to the city of Pemba.

"In compliance with United Nations procedure, I am part of the group of organizations and officials evacuated to the city of Pemba, all because we had a warning that terrorists intended to attack Ibo, since Quirimba is close to Ibo', an NGO official said.

Meanwhile, Issa Tarmomade, the mayor of Ibo municipality, refused to be evacuated. He said he would not abandon the population of Ibo.

Cabo Delgado is rich in natural gas and many other minerals, but has been plagued by terrorist attacks since 2017 perpetrated by jihadist groups causing the deaths of over 3,000 people, most of them civilians.