Africa-Press – Mozambique. The battle for control over Matemo island off the coast of the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado took three days, in which the Mozambican defence and security forces killed 20 islamist terrorists.
According to Joaquim Mangrasse, the Chief of the General Staff of the Mozambican Armed Forces, (FADM), cited by the independent television station STV, four members of the Mozambican forces also died in the clashes.
“The losses that the enemy suffered here are significant”, said Mangrasse, “but we are not going to lose our focus, which is to create security in our country, while respecting human rights”.
According to Mangrasse, during the fighting the Mozambican forces destroyed six boats used to carry the terrorists from the mainland. The Mozambican troops were supported by forces of SAMIM, the SADC (Southern African Development Community) Mission in Mozambique.
The terrorists landed on Matemo on 26 March, and the FADM reacted by sending air and naval forces to the island. The authorities imposed an exclusion zone around the island – no vessels were allowed to approach while the clashes continued.
The initial police estimate was that the terrorist group that landed on Matemo consisted of 20 people. If this estimate was accurate, then all the raiders have been killed.
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