Southern Philippines mosque hit by deadly grenade attack

At least two people have been killed and four others wounded in a grenade attack on a mosque in the southern Philippines, say local officials, reports Aljazeera. 

The attack in Zamboanga city took place in the early hours of Wednesday, just days after deadly twin blasts at a Roman Catholic cathedral on a nearby island and a vote backing wider Muslim self-rule in Mindanao, the country's volatile southernmost region.

"A grenade was lobbed inside a mosque killing two persons and wounding another four," regional military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Gerry Besana told AFP news agency of the attack in Zamboanga.

Rappler, a Philippine news outlet, cited an initial police report as saying that "an unidentified suspect turned off the nearby streetlight then threw a grenade inside the mosque ... city where Muslim religious leaders were resting".

The victims were reportedly sleeping inside the mosque at the time of the attack, which drew immediate condemnation from authorities.

"There is no redeeming such blasphemous murder. It is the highest form of cowardice and obscenity to attack people who at prayer," said regional leader Mujiv Hataman.

"We call on people of all faiths... to come together to pray for peace."

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

The attack comes as the Philippines was put on high alert after two explosions during a Sunday church service at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Jolo town, Sulu province, killed at least 21 people and wounded more than 100 others.

Authorities have not said if the two attacks are related.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group claimed responsibility for the cathedral blast, one of the worst incidents of violence in Philippines' restive south.

President Rodrigo Duterte blamed Abu Sayyaf, a domestic armed group that has pledged allegiance to ISIL and has carried out bombings, kidnappings and beheadings in Mindanao, for carrying out the church bombing.

"Nobody, but nobody, could perpetuate that kind of terrorism in that area," he said this week during a visit to the region.

Last week, a referendum on expanded autonomy for the mainly Muslim region returned an overwhelming "yes" vote amid hopes the plan would bring development, jobs and peace to a region long plagued by poverty and instability.