Eastern Congo: Islamic State-backed group attacks church; 21 killed

At least 21 people were killed in an attack on a church in eastern Congo by the Islamic State-backed rebel group on Sunday, reported news agency AP, quoting a civil leader.

An attack by members of the Allied Democratic Force (ADF) took place around 1 a.m. inside the premises of a Catholic church in Komanda, eastern Congo , authorities said. The assault also saw several houses and shops set ablaze.

“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,” said Dieudonne Duranthabo, a civil society coordinator in Komanda, speaking to The Associated Press.

Meanwhile, the Congolese army confirmed a lower toll. “What we know this morning is that there was an incursion by armed men with machetes into a church not far from Komanda, where about 10 people were killed and massacred and some shops were set on fire,” said Lt. Jules Ngongo, spokesperson for the army in Ituri province.

The ADF, a rebel group linked to the Islamic State, operates in the border regions of Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo and has carried out repeated attacks on civilians for over a decade.