South&nbsp;African President Cyril Ramaphosa has authorised the use of 1,495 members of the military to help neighbour Mozambique fight an Islamic State-linked insurgency, parliament said on Wednesday.

The use of the&nbsp;South&nbsp;African National Defence Force (SANDF) comes after&nbsp;southern&nbsp;African regional bloc SADC last month approved the deployment of troops to Mozambique to combat a conflict that began in 2017 and has killed thousands.

Ramaphosa said the SANDF personnel would be used between July 15 and October&nbsp;15 at an expected cost of 984 million rand ($66.3 million), a letter sent to the speaker of parliament showed.

In the letter. Ramaphosa referred specifically to authorising the employment of SANDF members and did not spell out how many of those would be soldiers deployed on Mozambican soil.

The conflict in Mozambique's northern Cabo Delgado province has displaced hundreds of thousands and brought a natural gas project led by French energy company Total Energies to a grinding halt.

At the time SADC nations authorised the deployment of the bloc's standby force, they did not say how many troops would be involved.

Ramaphosa's letter said&nbsp;South&nbsp;Africa's military would help Mozambique combat "acts of terrorism and violent extremists that affected the area of Cabo Delgado".

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has authorised the use of 1,495 members of the military to help neighbour Mozambique fight an Islamic State-linked insurgency, parliament said on Wednesday.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has authorised the use of 1,495 members of the military to help neighbour Mozambique fight an Islamic State-linked insurgency, parliament said on Wednesday. The use of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) comes after southern African regional bloc SADC last month approved the deployment of troops to Mozambique to combat a conflict that began in 2017 and has killed thousands. Ramaphosa said the SANDF personnel would be used between July 15 and October 15 at an expected cost of 984 million rand ($66.3 million), a letter sent to the speaker of parliament showed. In the letter. Ramaphosa referred specifically to authorising the employment of SANDF members and did not spell out how many of those would be soldiers deployed on Mozambican soil. The conflict in Mozambique's northern Cabo Delgado province has displaced hundreds of thousands and brought a natural gas project led by French energy company Total Energies to a grinding halt. At the time SADC nations authorised the deployment of the bloc's standby force, they did not say how many troops would be involved. Ramaphosa's letter said South Africa's military would help Mozambique combat "acts of terrorism and violent extremists that affected the area of Cabo Delgado".

South Africa approves use of 1,495 military personnel to help Mozambique fight jihadists

Southern Africa's regional bloc on Thursday vowed a "proportionate" response to jihadists who last month raided a key town in northern&nbsp;Mozambique&nbsp;in a sharp escalation of a three-year-old insurgency.

Six presidents from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) held emergency talks in the Mozambican capital Maputo, two weeks after the attack on the town of Palma left dozens dead and forced thousands from their homes.

The summit "affirmed that such heinous attacks cannot be allowed to continue without a proportionate regional response", the bloc said in a statement.&nbsp;

The 16-member grouping said it was committed to contributing towards efforts to restore peace in the area but did not specify what support it was offering.&nbsp;

It said a "technical" team would immediately be deployed to Maputo, without giving details of the tasks of the panel nor its composition.

Speaking to the media after the deliberations, Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa said the Summit, "had agreed that the SADC Force should be resuscitated and capacitated immediately so that it can intervene".

Leaders of&nbsp;Mozambique, Malawi, Tanzania, Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe attended the meeting.&nbsp;

Mozambique&nbsp;President Filipe Nyusi on Wednesday said the insurgents had been forced out of Palma and that his government was "evaluating" its needs for external support.

"It is not about empty pride, it is about a sense of sovereignty," he said.

"No war is won if it is not clear from the start what must be done by our country and what must be done by the allies." &nbsp;

Southern Africa had enjoyed relative stability compared to other regions in recent years until insurgents started battering&nbsp;Mozambique's Cabo Delgado province.

In a coordinated attack, insurgents seized Palma, a port that lies close to a multi-billion-dollar liquid natural gas (LNG) project viewed as crucial for the Mozambican economy.

The assault claimed dozens of lives, according to the authorities, while the UN says more than 11,000 were forced to flee. Total, the French energy giant behind the LNG project, has withdrawn its personnel from the site.

Known locally as Al-Shabaab -- but with no known relation to the Somali group of the same name -- Cabo Delgado's jihadists have launched more than 800 raids on towns and villages in an apparent bid to establish an Islamic caliphate.

The violence has killed over 2,600 people and uprooted around three-quarters of a million others, according to estimates.

Southern Africa's regional bloc on Thursday vowed a "proportionate" response to jihadists who last month raided a key town in northern Mozambique in a sharp escalation of a three-year-old insurgency.

Southern Africa's regional bloc on Thursday vowed a "proportionate" response to jihadists who last month raided a key town in northern Mozambique in a sharp escalation of a three-year-old insurgency. Six presidents from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) held emergency talks in the Mozambican capital Maputo, two weeks after the attack on the town of Palma left dozens dead and forced thousands from their homes. The summit "affirmed that such heinous attacks cannot be allowed to continue without a proportionate regional response", the bloc said in a statement. The 16-member grouping said it was committed to contributing towards efforts to restore peace in the area but did not specify what support it was offering. It said a "technical" team would immediately be deployed to Maputo, without giving details of the tasks of the panel nor its composition. Speaking to the media after the deliberations, Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa said the Summit, "had agreed that the SADC Force should be resuscitated and capacitated immediately so that it can intervene". Leaders of Mozambique, Malawi, Tanzania, Botswana, South Africa and Zimbabwe attended the meeting. Mozambique President Filipe Nyusi on Wednesday said the insurgents had been forced out of Palma and that his government was "evaluating" its needs for external support. "It is not about empty pride, it is about a sense of sovereignty," he said. "No war is won if it is not clear from the start what must be done by our country and what must be done by the allies." Southern Africa had enjoyed relative stability compared to other regions in recent years until insurgents started battering Mozambique's Cabo Delgado province. In a coordinated attack, insurgents seized Palma, a port that lies close to a multi-billion-dollar liquid natural gas (LNG) project viewed as crucial for the Mozambican economy. The assault claimed dozens of lives, according to the authorities, while the UN says more than 11,000 were forced to flee. Total, the French energy giant behind the LNG project, has withdrawn its personnel from the site. Known locally as Al-Shabaab -- but with no known relation to the Somali group of the same name -- Cabo Delgado's jihadists have launched more than 800 raids on towns and villages in an apparent bid to establish an Islamic caliphate. The violence has killed over 2,600 people and uprooted around three-quarters of a million others, according to estimates.

SADC vows 'proportionate' response to Mozambique's jihadists

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South Africa approves use of 1,495 military personnel to help Mozambique fight jihadists

SADC vows 'proportionate' response to Mozambique's jihadists