Mozambique jihadists using police equipment in attacks

Mozambique’s police boss has admitted that a stolen police vehicle and uniforms are being used by Islamist insurgents to carry out attacks in the gas-rich northern province of Cabo Delgado.

Photos of the insurgents parading the police car and uniforms have been doing the rounds on social media.

Police Chief Bernardino Rafael on Wednesday said investigations were ongoing to establish how the group had got hold of the equipment.

He said the insurgents had since torched the vehicle.

"This is a vehicle the wrongdoers acquired in strange circumstances. The vehicle is ours. We confirm that the car is ours and was set on fire under circumstances that we are investigating to clarify,” Mr Rafael said.

The group, locally known as al-Shabab - but which has no known association with the Somalia-based jihadist group of the same name - has been carrying out sporadic attacks in the region for more than two years.

The attacks have included beheadings, the raiding of police stations and the burning of houses which have forced many villagers from their homes.

Cabo Delgado province is a hub for mining and petroleum exploration.