Philippines launches 'massive' manhunt after Catholic mass bombing

Policemen and soldiers from the military arrive at Mindanao State University in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur province on Monday, December 4, 2023, a day after a bomb attack. At least four people died and dozens were wounded on December 3, 2023 in a bomb attack on a Catholic mass in the insurgency-plagued southern Philippines. - AFP

MARAWI, Philippines (AFP): A Philippine military commander said Monday that a "massive" manhunt was underway for the assailants who bombed a Catholic mass in the country's restive south, killing four worshippers and wounding dozens.

The blast, claimed by the Islamic State group, happened Sunday at Mindanao State University's gymnasium in Marawi, the country's largest Muslim city, which was besieged by Islamist militant groups in 2017.