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Assignment: The Battle of Palma

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The Battle of Palma

29/04/2021 GMT

BBC World Service - Assignment, The Battle of Palma

Daring escapes and tragic consequences after militants attack a remote town in Mozambique

In March, militants linked to the Islamic State group attacked a small town in northern Mozambique. Andrew Harding hears stories of daring escapes, and tragic consequences.

At the end of March, hundreds of militants linked to the Islamic State group overran a small, but strategic coastal town in northern Mozambique. The bloody surprise attack on Palma marked a significant escalation in a shadowy conflict that began in 2017 and has already driven hundreds of thousands of Mozambicans from their homes. Some of the heaviest fighting in Palma centred on a hotel where many foreign workers spent days under siege, before attempting a daring escape. Helicopters and boats were also used to try to rescue those trapped by the militants. For Assignment, Andrew Harding tells the story of Palma’s days of terror.  

Produced by Becky Lipscombe

(Image:  Mozambican soldiers on a motorbike in the streets of Palma, April 2021. Credit: European Pressphoto Agency/Joao Relvas)

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