The Philippine Embassy in Libya is currently verifying with Tunisian authorities to confirm news reports that the female suicide bomber who blew herself with an explosive belt last week was a Filipino national.
It was earlier reported that Tunisia’s Garde Nationale Tunisienne conducted an antiterrorism operation on March 31, 2021 to track down extremist groups taking refuge in the Kasserine region, an area located some 300 kilometers south of the capital Tunis.
One suspected extremist was killed in the operation while his wife activated an explosive belt, killing herself and the baby she was holding in her arms.
The Tunisian Interior Ministry was quoted as saying that an older daughter who was also at the scene survived.
“The Philippine Embassy in Tripoli, Libya, along with the Philippine Honorary Consulate in Tunis, is currently coordinating with Tunisian authorities on the identity and nationality of the female suicide bomber,” the Embassy said in a statement.