ISIS, or the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, has claimed responsibility for a shocking assault on churchgoers at a Catholic church in the Democratic Republic of Congo on July 27.

The brutal attack resulted in the death of at least 43 individuals, including 19 women, 15 men, and nine children, according to the Daily Express.

The faithful were participating in an evening vigil at a church in Komanda, located in the northeastern part of the central African country, one of Africa's biggest.

The assailants wielded machetes and firearms, creating havoc and mercilessly killing defenseless churchgoers, according to the report.

US President Donald Trump has in recent times lauded attacks on ISIS in the fight against terror.

Citing an Associated Press report, the Catholic Thing reported on July 29 that ISIS-backed fighters attacked the Catholic church in eastern Congo, killing at least 34 people, according to a local civil society leader. Dieudonne Duranthabo.

The assailants set ablaze several homes and stores, with numerous people still missing after the terrifying incident.

"The rebels primarily targeted Christians who were spending the night in the Catholic church," Christophe Munyanderu, a human rights activist who was present at the scene, reported to Al Jazeera, according to The Express.

"Regrettably, these individuals were murdered with machetes or bullets."

An article on the Amaq Agency's website stated that Islamic State fighters executed the horrifying massacre. "Security sources informed Amaq Agency that Islamic State fighters attacked a church in the town of Komanda in the Irumu territory of Ituri province," they penned.

The Amaq News Agency, which is linked with ISIS and is frequently the "first point of publication for claims of responsibility" for terrorist attacks by the Islamists, reported the attack.

The assault had previously been attributed to the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), which is affiliated with ISIS.

The ADF originated in Uganda in the 1990s, accusing the government of the time of persecuting Muslims.

The militia has now entrenched itself in the DR Congo, its neighbor, where it regularly launches attacks on civilians of any faith, extending those attacks into Uganda.

The ADF has, in turn, become part of the Islamic State's Central African Province, which also embraces a group in further south in Mozambique, which neighbors South Africa.

In 2021, DR Congo invited Ugandan troops to enter the country to assist in combating the ADF.

The UN peacekeeping mission - Monusco - denounced the attack, labeling it a blatant "violation of all human rights standards and international humanitarian law."