1 American evacuated from Mozambique as ISIS-linked rebels seize coastal town
Source: ABC News
ABC News
By MORGAN WINSOR
Tuesday, March 30, 2021 11:30AM
At least one American has been safely evacuated from Mozambique following deadly attacks by ISIS-linked rebels who left beheaded bodies strewn on beaches and streets, according to a senior official with the U.S. Department of State.
John Godfrey, the State Department's acting special envoy for the global coalition to defeat ISIS, condemned the "sheer brutality" of the attacks in the coastal northeastern town of Palma and said the local jihadist group responsible has become increasingly brazen.
The situation there is still unfolding but the U.S. government is closely monitoring events on the ground, and the attacks there are horrific, frankly, and show a complete disregard for the life, welfare and security of the local population," Godfrey said during a press briefing Monday afternoon. "We were aware of one American citizen who was on the ground in Palma and that individual, as we understand it, has successfully been evacuated."
ISIS, officially known as the Islamic State, claimed responsibility Monday for the attacks in Palma in Mozambique's natural gas-rich Cabo Delgado province, saying the offensive was carried out by fighters from its Central African Province division, which also has a presence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to SITE Intelligence Group, a company that tracks extremist groups. ISIS alleged its insurgents had seized the "strategic city" in the southern African nation, taking control of buildings, factories, government offices and banks, and killing more than 55 people there, including Mozambican soldiers, Christians and foreign nationals.
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