Islamic State claims responsibility for killing 15 in east Congo village

CAIRO (Reuters) – Islamic State on Tuesday claimed responsibility for an attack that killed at least 15 civilians in a village in northeast Democratic Republic of Congo on Sunday, the militant group said on an affiliated Telegram channel.

A rights group and a local official said on Monday that fighters believed to be members of the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) stormed the village of Bulongo in North Kivu province after dark on Sunday, pillaging homes, murdering inhabitants that crossed their path, and setting fire to six vehicles.

The ADF is a Ugandan militia that has been active in east Congo since the 1990s and killed scores of civilians, many in middle-of-the-night attacks carried out with machetes and hatchets. It pledged alliance to the Islamic State in 2019.

Islamic State claimed its members killed nearly 20 Christians and set fire to six trucks in the attack using machine guns and returned back to their bases unhurt.

(Reporting by Mahmoud Mourad; Editing by Leslie Adler)