Christians in the Philippines suffer a terrorist attack

The Christians were celebrating Sunday mass when they suffered an explosion, which, according to the BBC, the Daulah Islamiyah-Maute has claimed responsibility for. In Marawi, four people have died and another forty-five have been injured. Most of them are students.

General Nobleza claimed that 11 of his members were killed in a clash with the Philippine army the previous Friday in the adjoining town of Datu Hoffer Ampatuan. According to him, this explosion on Sunday could be a form of retaliation.

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. condemned the deadly attack on the same day, stating: “I condemn in the strongest possible terms the senseless and heinous acts perpetrated by foreign terrorists. Extremists who commit violence against the innocent will always be considered enemies of our society.” In response, the police and military have tightened security measures in the south of the country and around the capital, Manila.

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro revealed “strong indications of a foreign actor” in the attack, refusing to provide more details so as not to compromise the ongoing investigation. At the scene, fragments of a 16 mm mortar were recovered, as mentioned by senior police officer Emmanuel Peralta during the press conference.

Armed Forces chief Romeo Brawner suggested a possible link to recent military operations against local pro-Islamic State groups in the southern Philippines. The military chief declared that an operation carried out on Sunday in Lanao del Sur resulted in the death of a leader of the Dawlah Islamiya-Maute group, raising the possibility that Sunday’s attack was revenge for that.

Thus, the situation in the Philippines is becoming profoundly worse for local Christians, becoming a point of attack for radical groups that increasingly have more space and strength in this country.