Dozens killed in Mozambique for refusing to join terrorists

The Taliban's victory in Afghanistan could raise the morale of various Islamist extremist groups. Analysts believe that this will lead to new alliances and an increased danger of terrorist attacks.

Although US military withdrawal raises the risk of terrorist activity, experts say the Taliban will likely value pursuing international recognition of their rule over harboring militants.

In northern Nigeria dozens of fighters from jihadist group Boko Haram have been handing in their weapons, seeking reintegration into society. The government claims the credit, though the full reasons are less clear. And not everyone is ready to accept them back into the fold.

The liberation of the nun, captured on the border with Burkina Faso nearly five years ago, has been welcomed by the Colombian government. Mali's president saluted her "bravery" after the ordeal.

Despite vaccine hesitancy and inaccessibility, a push by a collective of NGOs, local networks and health volunteers has helped the inoculation drive and convinced people to accept the shots.

The far-right Tehreek-e-Labbaik party has called off a march on the capital, and the government has said allowing the party back into the political mainstream is in the "national interest."

At least eight people were killed in Somalia's capital on Thursday (November 25) when Islamist militants launched a suicide attack on a U.N. security convoy using a vehicle laden with explosives, officials and witnesses said. The Islamist group al Shabaab claimed responsibility for the huge blast which rocked Mogadishu and injured at least 23 people, including school students, sending a column of smoke above the city. Gunfire echoed around the scene, witnesses said. It was not immediately clear if any U.N. personnel were among those killed or injured in the huge blast, which targeted the U.N. convoy as it passed near the site of a school.

Militants killed at least 31 people in central Mali on Friday (December 3) when they fired upon a bus ferrying people to a local market, local authorities said - the latest deadly attack in a region racked by violent insurgency. The bus was attacked by unidentified gunmen as it travelled its twice-weekly route from the village of Songho to a market in Bandiagara, 10 kilometres (6 miles) away, said Moulaye Guindo, mayor of the nearby town of Bankass.

The French army on Saturday said it killed 40 militants in Burkina Faso. According to a statement posted on Twitter, the militants were "neutralized" during a joint operation with Burkinabe armed forces. The statement went on to say that the armed "terrorist group" was responsible for two attacks in neighboring Benin.

Islamabad has issued a warning to Afghanistan's Taliban leadership, accusing it of giving shelter to militants. In turn, the Taliban claim Pakistani bombings recently killed dozens of civilians on Afghan soil.

Israel has responded to rocket attacks from Gaza with airstrikes, as a month of deadly violence in Israel and the Palestinian territories continues to escalate.

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) agreed to extend their troop deployment inMozambique for another month to help it fight an Islamic State-linked insurgency. Meanwhile, the border between Algeria and Tunisia has been reopened after more than two years of closure due to the pandemic. And in Somalia, the crew at Bilan Media is on a mission to break the silence around gender-based violence in the country.