At least 43 people have been killed and more than 15 others injured in a brutal attack on a Catholic church in the town of Komenda, located in Ituri province in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, according to reports.
The attack, carried out by the ISIS-linked United Democratic Forces (ADF) rebel group, took place on Sunday morning, July 27.
According to Al Jazeera, armed attackers using guns and knives attacked Catholic Christians who had gathered for a night prayer service in a church affiliated with the Caritas charity.
Several houses and shops near the church were set on fire in the incident, and reports indicate that a number of residents are missing.
More than 21 people were shot dead inside and outside the church, and at least three burned bodies have been found, and the search for other victims is ongoing,” Dieudonne Durantabou, a civil society coordinator in Komenda, told The Associated Press.
He condemned the attack in a city where security forces are present and called for immediate military intervention.
