Congo Forces Kill Dozens of Rebels Linked to IS in Ebola Zone Shootout

Congo Forces Kill Dozens of Rebels Linked to IS in Ebola Zone Shootout

Congolese forces have killed 26 rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s east Ebola zone.

Thought to be linked to the Islamic State group, the army said it shot dead the insurgents while repelling an attack on a village near the city of Beni.

The area is the epicenter of Congo’s worst ever Ebola epidemic, which has killed close to 1,300 people since last August.

Local residents gathered to watch the bodies of rebels from the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) be taken away.

The ADF, originally a Ugandan Salafist-inspired extremist group, has been operating along the Congo-Uganda border for more than two decades.

While it’s never claimed allegiance to Islamic State, witnesses said the group carried out an attack in a nearby town last month, which was then claimed by Islamic State.
(Reuters)