'Significant' Number of Rebels Killed in Retaking of Mozambican City, Military Says

MAPUTO, MOZAMBIQUE - A “significant” number of rebels were shot dead by Mozambican forces in operations to retake the northeastern city of Palma, which fell into the hands of jihadi groups after a bloody attack March 24, the military said Sunday.  

“It is not yet over … but a significant number of terrorists have been shot,” the commander of operations in Palma, Chongo Vidigal, told reporters.   Eleven days ago, armed groups attacked the strategic port city in a carefully prepared raid, launched just a few kilometers from a multibillion-euro mega liquefied natural gas project led by the French group Total.  The first images of the city of 75,000 inhabitants seen since the attack were broadcast on local television. The footage showed a few bodies lying in the streets, houses in ruins and vehicles in ashes. A few civilians were collecting food.