Counter-Terrorism Strategies Against Islamic State Central Africa Province (ISCAP)
The violent campaign launched by the Islamic State provinces in East and Central Africa continues to wreak havoc, displacing thousands of people and stretching the security apparatus and society. In Mozambique especially, ISCAP has invaded the restive northern province of Cabo Delgado where the group razes buildings, beheads residents, and attack government infrastructure with the aim of creating a caliphate in the resource-rich province.
The threat posed by ISCA has been heightened in the past weeks as reports indicate that the militancy has more fighters than articulated by available intelligence especially seeing as the group does not self-promote on social media. Intelligence in July indicates that the group has more fighters than anticipated seeing as the Mozambican troops reportedly attempted an attack on a militants’ camp with intelligence revealing the capacity to be at least 400 terrorists. It is clear that the group has more fighters and as such the Mozambican government that lacks adequate skills and counterinsurgency intelligence to map out the threat and carve out a successful strategy to ensure that the threat is contained and eradicated.
Despite the Mozambican military has serious shortcomings in terms of operation ability and intelligence gaps, counterinsurgency strategies in the past few weeks have proven effective and been credited for the lull in attacks. Additionally, the militants have moved from their showy attacks to guerrilla-like attacks that are swift and often involve the kidnappings of women and girls. The kidnappings are clear indicators that like other terror outfits across the continent the foot soldiers have been injured and ISCAP requires women and girls to tend to the wounded fighters. Additionally, groups like the Boko Haram which ISCAP appear to emulate on numerous occasions kidnapped girls and women as brides and prizes for the fighters that won battles. Therefore, this could translate to the group either having a lot of wounded soldiers or a huge number that requires to be tended by the women and girls as they train in anticipation of future attacks.
The Mozambican military has however made strides to forging CT strategies that will work for the case of Cabo Delgado among them increasing its presence in the region, launching offensive attacks on the militants as opposed to the previously used defensive one upon attacks. The Zimbabwean colonel’s private company in the Lionel Dick reform, Dick Advisory, which provides air assistance to the Mozambican Defense and Security Forces (SDS) in its operations in Cabo Delgado, has seen its contract renewed until at least the end of the year. The group should also train Mozambican ground forces in order to ensure that the military is adeptly equipped to handle both terrorist and civilian aspects of the war. The training will include intelligence gathers, psyops, and kinetic combat that in collaboration to ensure that the recent reports of torture and mistreatment of residents are addressed.
