PH Embassy probes claim Tunisia suicide bomber was Filipina

MANILA – The Philippine Embassy in Tripoli, Libya, on Monday said it is working with authorities to identify and confirm claims that the suicide bomber in the Kasserine region of Tunisia was a Filipino woman.

In a statement, the embassy said Tunisia’s Garde Nationale Tunisienne killed a suspected terrorist during a counterterrorism operation whose wife blew herself up with an explosive belt.

“The incident left three people dead, including a baby the suicide bomber was carrying in her arms. News reports from local media in Tunisia and international media claimed that the suicide bomber is a Filipino national,” the embassy said.

The incident occurred on Thursday last week in the remote Mount Selloum area of Kasserine, near the Algerian border, a known jihadist hideout.

Another Islamic extremist was also killed on the same day during a separate operation in Mount Mghila, also in the Kasserine region.