Blast at Catholic church in Philippines; 6 hurt

A crude bomb exploded on Saturday in the roof of a Roman Catholic church at a police base on a Muslim-dominated southern island in the Philippines wounding six people, an army spokesperson said.

The Catholic priest celebrating the early morning Christmas mass was among those wounded, said military spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Randolf Cabangbang.

Cabangbang said about 100 people were at the service in  the main police base on the island of Jolo, a stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf, a small Islamist militant group with ties to al-Qaeda.

"We've placed our troops on alert to prevent similar attacks on churches, shopping malls, parks and transport terminals," Cabangbang said.

No group claimed responsibility for the attack. The Abu Sayyaf has been blamed for several bomb attacks on the Roman Catholic cathedral in Jolo since the early 2000s and for kidnapping priests and nuns.

Dozens of US army Special Forces have been deployed on Jolo since 2004 to help train and advise security forces fighting the militants.