Mozambique receives Mi-17 helicopter and other Russian hardware

Mozambican military have received at least one new Mil Mi-17 assault helicopter from Russia, according to photograph released on social media.

The photograph showed an Antonov An-124-100 transport aircraft from the 224 ^th Flight Unit of the Russian Air Force offloading the helicopter and other military hardwares at the Nacala airport in northern Mozambique.

One of the photograph showed the Mi-17 helicopter being offloaded by a group of men wearing Mozambican camouflaged fatigues. A military truck was also offloaded from the aircraft.

The helicopter was missing its main rotor blades, according to Flightradar24 data, the Russian Antonov An-124-100 aircraft left Eastern Europe on 24 September and headed back on 26 September.

In October 2017, terror attacks by a suspected armed Islamist group in the northern province of Cabo Delgado killed at least 39 people and left more than 1,000 displaced between May and July 2018. 

The Islamic State (IS) claimed responsibility for both attacks via its social media outlets.

The recent attacks in the southeast African country signals a growing presence of IS militants who have carried out similar attacks against the military and local residents in the Muslim-majority northern part of Mozambique.

The recent attacks in the southeast African country signals a growing presence of IS militants who have carried out similar attacks against the military and local residents in the Muslim-majority northern part of Mozambique.

Since then, about 160 Russian military advisors have apparently been deployed to Mozambique since the end of August, especially in Cabo Delgado.