Mozambique Tottering as African Allies Battle ISIS Insurgents

A South African military helicopter near a base in Mozambique. The Southern African Development Community anti-insurgency operation in Mozambique has only two such aircraft at its disposal. Courtesy of South African National Defense Force

JOHANNESBURG—It was five days before Christmas, but the 61 armed men creeping gently through the forested hills near the village of Chai in northern Mozambique were not in a holiday mood.

Their mission was to “find and engage” jihadist terrorists linked to the ISIS-aligned group of Central Africa, whose goal was to make Christian rites a forgotten tradition.