While the world has been condemning the dastardly terrorist attacks in France, Mozambique in East Africa has been bearing the brunt of radical Islamism. As per reports, Islamists had unleashed terror in several villages and beheaded more than 50 people in the Cabo Delgado province of Mozambique in the past few days.
On Friday night, terrorists affiliated with the ISIS yelled, ‘Allahu Akbar’ before going on a killing spree in the Nanjaba village. They burnt down houses and fired shots at innocent people in one of the worst attacks in the province. While several women were abducted, two people were beheaded by the terrorists. In a separate incident, more than 50 people were decapitated by another group of terrorists in the Muatide village.
In a press conference held on Monday, a police official informed, “They set the houses on fire and then hunted down people who had fled into the woods and began their macabre action. Eyewitnesses have testified that the terrorists had abducted several villagers, including women and children, to a football field and used it as an ‘execution ground’ to behead the victims. The government in Mozambique had meanwhile appealed for international help to train its security personnel and maintain peace in the conflict zone.
Radical Islamism is on the rise in Mozambique since 2017
The Muslim-dominated province of Cabo Delgado has witnessed the displacement of 4.3 lac people and the gruesome killings of more than 2000 people since 2017. Although the province is rich in ruby and gas industries, the locals have failed to benefit from it due to a drastic rise in the terror activities of ISIS. In a bid to establish a Caliphate (Islamic State), the terrorist group had been recruiting local youth reeling with poverty and unemployment. The situation in Cabo Delgado has aggravated due to the indifference of the Mozambique government towards the region. In April alone, the ISIS terrorists shot and beheaded more than 50 people for refusing to join them.
Four killed in France over the cartoon row
In the last month, four people have been killed in France over the Prophet Muhammad cartoon row. On 17th October, Samuel Paty, a teacher, was beheaded in France for showing a cartoon of Prophet Muhammad in his class. Later, on 29th October, three people, including a woman, were reportedly beheaded at a Church in Nice, France. Several were injured in several attacks that happened on the same day in different locations across the world. A priest was shot on 1st November while he was closing a church. While India has shown support to France against terrorism, Islamic nations like Turkey and Pakistan have categorically justified the terrorist attacks in France.
