Bomb blast kills 10 people during church services in Congo

By Godfrey Olukya

KAMPALA, Uganda (AA) - At least 10 people were killed and 15 wounded in a suspected terrorist bomb attack during Sunday services in a church in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

According to Lt. Apollo Mwanamboka, a security officer in eastern Congo, the blast took place at the Spak Church in the town of Kasindi in the restive North Kivu province, less than a mile away from the Mpondwe border post with Uganda.

Julius Kasake, an eyewitness, said he was passing near the church when he heard a noisy blast. He said people from nearby homes ran into the church to help those hit by the blast.

In a phone interview with Anadolu, Congo Army spokesman Anthony Mualushay said the attack was likely carried out by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), a Ugandan terrorist group that has allegiance to the terrorist group Daesh/ISIS.

The army in Uganda immediately beefed up security at the border post and the surrounding areas.

The ADF was formed in Uganda in the late 1990s with the main intention of overthrowing the president. Overpowered by the Ugandan army, its fighters fled into Congolese forests, where they attacked innocent civilians.​​​​​​​