Wagner PMC.

This is coolbert:

FADM = Mozambique Defence Armed Forces. IS = Islamic State.

"Why African governments still hire mercenaries"

"Professional gunmen are cheap, efficient and deniable"

"When president Filipe Nyusi wanted help last year to tackle a jihadist insurgency in northern Mozambique, various private military firms were keen to oblige. Mr Nyusi chose Russia’s Wagner Group, which vowed to make short work of the rebels. But after a bunch of its men were killed, it pulled out, humiliated."

ONLY VERY VAGUELY WAS I WAS AWARE OF THE CURRENT INSURGENCY AS ONGOING IN MOZAMBIQUE. ISLAMIC JIHADISTS APPARENTLY OF THE ISLAMIC STATE PERSUASION WAGING WAR AND APPARENTLY VERY SUCCESSFULLY.

Enter the Private Military Contractors [PMC] of the Russian Wagner Group at the behest of the Maputo central government. A venture now seen as unsuccessful.

From the distinguished military war correspondent Al J. Venter:

"A Dirty Little War in Mozambique.  May2020   Al J. Venter."

"Roughly 200 Russian private military contractors – backed by several Hind helicoptergunships as well as a number of Mi-171Sh aircraft (which have the same performance as the Mi-8MTV, but with more sophisticated systems fitted) – first started operating along the Tanzanian frontier, and only later moved into the interior of the Cabo Delgado province. Air and ground forces were designated to operate in close co-operation with the FADM. During initial ground and air strikes, the combined forces bombed insurgent bases in several areas, pushing them into the remote interior, but the insurgents retaliated by launching attacks on several government military bases and dozens on both sides were killed. Following the arrival of the Russians, IS quickly reinforced its units in Mozambique by rushing in ‘volunteers’ from other East African countries, notably Somalia; this soon led to an intensified series of guerrilla onslaughts"

"Following the Wagner Group’s losses in Mozambique (and failure to complete the anti-insurgency tasks it faced against a basic, ill-equipped guerrilla force) the word is out in Africa that the Russians are not quite the formidable combat force they like to promulgate"

ABSOLUTE AIR SUPREMACY NEVER A GUARANTEE OF SUCCESS AND NEVER WILL BE. RUSSIANS BRAWN BUT NO BRAINS?

coolbert.