Three people beheaded in northern Mozambique

MAPUTO, Mozambique 

Three people have been beheaded in a village in Quissanga district in the jihadist-hit northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado.

The macabre act is believed to be the work of insurgents linked to the Islamic State group fleeing the ongoing joint operations by Mozambican and Rwandan troops.

The incident occurred on Tuesday but the reasons behind the killings are still unknown, according to media reports.

The three dismembered bodies are said to have been found by villagers in the morning. They also reported seeing a vehicle without a number plate moving around.

Last week three fishermen were reportedly beheaded in Macomia district, which was also suspected to have been carried out by fleeing jihadists.

The incident was reported by other fishermen who survived the attack.

The beheadings come at a time when a sense of calm and security seems to be returning to many districts in Cabo Delgado as a result of the military operations.

The jihadists have been blamed for several mass beheadings since they began their insurgency in 2017.