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Arab News
4 days ago
- Politics
- Arab News
At least 21 killed in attack on east Congo church by Islamic State-backed rebels, civil leader says
GOMA: At least 21 people were killed on Sunday in an attack on a Catholic church in eastern Congo by Islamic State-backed rebels, according to a civil society leader. The military confirmed at least 10 fatalities, while local media reports put the death toll at more than 40. The attack is believed to have been carried out by members of the Allied Democratic Force (ADF) armed with machetes, who stormed the church premises in Ituri province's Komanda town at around 1 a.m. Several houses and shops were also burnt. 'More than 21 people were shot dead inside and outside and we have recorded at least three charred bodies and several houses burned. But the search is continuing,' Dieudonne Duranthabo, civil society coordinator in Komanda, told The Associated Press. Lt. Jules Ngongo, a Congolese army spokesperson in Ituri province, confirmed 10 killed in the attack. Video footage from the scene shared online appeared to show burning structures and bodies on the floor of the church. Those who were able to identify some of the victims wailed while others stood in shock. A UN-backed radio station said 43 people were killed, citing security sources. It said the attackers came from a stronghold around 12 kilometers (7 miles) from the center of Komanda and fled before security forces could arrive. Eastern Congo has suffered deadly attacks in recent years by armed groups, including the ADF and Rwanda-backed rebels. The ADF, which has ties to the Islamic State, operates in the borderland between Uganda and Congo and often targets civilians. The group killed dozens of people in Ituri earlier this month in what a United Nations spokesperson described as a bloodbath. Duranthabo condemned the attack 'in a town where all the security officials are present.' He added: 'We demand military intervention as soon as possible, since we are told the enemy is still near our town.' The ADF was formed by disparate small groups in Uganda in the late 1990s following alleged discontent with President Yoweri Museveni. In 2002, following military assaults by Ugandan forces, the group moved its activities to neighboring Congo and has since been responsible for the killings of thousands of civilians. In 2019, it pledged allegiance to the Islamic State. The Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC), which has long struggled against the rebel group, has been facing attacks since the renewed hostilities between the Rwanda-backed M23.
South China Morning Post
18-07-2025
- Politics
- South China Morning Post
Israel voices regret for deadly strike on Gaza church after Trump call
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed regret after Israeli tank fire killed three people at a Catholic church in Gaza on Thursday, blaming a 'stray' round for the deaths after a phone call with US President Donald Trump. Advertisement The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem said 10 others were also wounded in the attack on the Holy Family Church in Gaza City – the territory's only Catholic house of worship – including parish priest Father Gabriel Romanelli. Witnesses and the Latin Patriarch said a tank shell slammed directly into the church around 10.30am, but the Israeli military later said an initial inquiry 'suggests that fragments from a shell … hit the church mistakenly'. Pope Leo said he was 'deeply saddened' by the loss of life at Holy Family, which the late Pope Francis had kept in regular contact with throughout the war between Israel and Hamas militants. Israel's military maintained it made 'every feasible effort to mitigate harm to civilians and religious structures', while Netanyahu promised an investigation. Advertisement 'Israel deeply regrets that a stray ammunition hit Gaza's Holy Family Church. Every innocent life lost is a tragedy,' Netanyahu said in a statement.
