Military personnel stand guard at the entrance of a gymnasium as police investigators search for evidence following a bomb attack at the Mindanao State University in Marawi, Lanao del Sur
At least four people died and dozens were injured this Sunday 3rd after a bomb exploded during a Catholic mass at a university in southern Spain. Philippines an area with a presence of insurgent groups, according to police. The explosion, claimed by the Islamic State (IS), occurred in the morning during a mass at the gymnasium of the State University of Mindanao in Marawi, the country’s largest Muslim city. Police Lt. Gen. Emmanuel Peralta reported that four people died and about 50 were injured in the explosion. An earlier tally showed three deaths. The jihadist group EI said in a statement posted on its Telegram channels that “soldiers of the caliphate detonated an explosive device in a large gathering of Christians.” […] in Marawi City.”
Security officials had previously suggested the attack may have been in retaliation for a series of military operations carried out against Islamist groups in recent days. President Ferdinand Marcos condemned the attack and blamed it on “foreign terrorists.” “I strongly condemn the cruel and senseless acts of foreign terrorists against the Mindanao State University,” Marcos said. The university also “condemned the act of violence,” suspended classes and increased security on campus, the institution’s statement said. “We remain in solidarity with our Christian community and all those affected by this tragedy,” he added. Images posted on Facebook by the South Lanao provincial government showed Governor Mamintal Adiong visiting the injured at a medical center.
The incident came after Philippine armed forces launched an airstrike on Friday that killed 11 Islamist militants from the Dawlah IslamiyahPhilippines organization in Mindanao. On Saturday, the official stressed that the group was planning attacks in South Maguindanao province. South Lanao and South Maguindanao are part of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region on the Muslim island of Mindanao. The region has been the target of attacks on buses, Catholic temples and public markets for decades. The Philippine government signed a peace agreement with the country’s largest rebel group, the Moro National Liberation Front, in 2014, ending their armed insurgency. However, smaller groups of Muslim fighters opposed to the peace deal remain active, including some loyal to the Islamic State (IS) group. There are also communist rebels in the region.
*With information from AFP