Twin blasts kill 15 in Jolo

At least 15 people were killed and dozens were wounded when two homemade bombs exploded in Jolo City, Sulu on Monday.

The fatalities included seven soldiers, six civilians and a policeman. A woman who investigators said was holding the bomb used in the second attack was also killed.

CARNAGE Soldiers walk near the bodies of some of the victims in this photo provided by the military. 

Military officials said 75 people were injured — 48 civilians, 21 soldiers and six policemen.

Security officials have not determined who was behind the attacks, but because the apparent target were soldiers, the initial suspicion fell on Islamist terrorist groups.

Initial reports confirmed by Maj. Gen. Corleto Vinluan Jr., commander of the Western Mindanao Command, indicated that the first explosion took place at 11:50 a.m. in front of the Paradise Food Shop, a food plaza frequented by military personnel, on Serantes Street in Barangay Walled City.

shows the bike where the bomb used in the first attack was rigged.

The blast was caused by an improvised explosive device (IED) packed into a parked motorcycle, military investigators found.

At past 1 p.m., a second explosion occurred about 100 meters from where the first bomb was set off, Vinluan said.

A soldier and a woman died in the second blast. The woman, believed to be Indonesian, was holding the IED that exploded.

The soldier was about to confront the woman when the IED went off, Vinluan said.

The military suspect that the group of Mudin Sawadjaan, a nephew of Abu Sayyaf leader Hajan Sawadjaan, was behind the attack.

It was Sawadjaan’s group that was under surveillance by the four intelligence soldiers who were gunned down by Jolo policemen in late June.

“This would not have happened if that incident [in June] did not happen,” Vinluan told reporters. “They were the targets that we missed because of that incident.”

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Archie Francisco Gamboa on Monday ordered an investigation into the Jolo blasts.

Gamboa directed BGen. Manuel Abu, the chief of Bangsamoro Autonomous Region police, to lead the probe.

The attack occurred barely two weeks after security forces arrested a senior Abu Sayyaf leader Idang Susukan from the house of former rebel chief Nur Misuari, chairman of the Moro National Liberation Front, in Davao City.

Susukan reportedly surrendered in April to Misuari in Sulu, one of five provinces in the Muslim autonomous region, and brought him to Davao on a private jet to have him fitted with a prosthetic arm after losing one arm in a battle with soldiers in the province.

Just this month, the US Department of State warned Americans to stay away from the restive southern region because of “crime, terrorism, civil unrest and kidnapping.”

Terror act

Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go condemned the bombings in Jolo.

“I call on all agencies of government to ensure that those responsible for these acts of terrorism are held accountable for their actions. Bigyan natin ng hustisya ang mga inosenteng buhay na nawala dahil sa walang saysay na terorismo (We have to give justice to those who lost their live because of terrorism),” he said.

“Naghihirap na nga tayo dahil sa krisis na dulot ng pandemya, patuloy pa rin ang mga terorista sa kanilang hangaring guluhin at sirain ang buhay ng mga Pilipino (We are reeling from the pandemic and yet terrorists continue to create chaos and ruin the lives of Filipinos),” the senator added.

He said President Rodrigo Duterte was doing everything to preserve the peace especially inMindanao.

“Nag-reach out na siya sa lahat at binigyan na ng pagkakataon ang iba’t ibang grupo na makisama sa gobyerno para maisakatuparan ang pangarap natin na magkaroon ng mas maayos, mapayapa at matiwasay na buhay ang lahat (He reached out to all and gave different groups the opportunity to cooperate with the government so we can have peaceful life,” Go stressed.

Malacañang also condemned the explosions.

“We condole with the families and loved ones of those who died in these tragic incidents,” Palace spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said in a statement.

“We call on the residents of Jolo to stay vigilant and report suspicious personalities and unattended items in their areas,” he added.

Puwersa ng Bayaning Atleta party-list Rep. Jericho Nograles, one of the authors of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020, stressed the need to fight terrorism in the country.

“This is a sad reminder why we need to fight terrorism in the Philippines. I said it before and I say it again, terrorism is a clear and present danger. I hope that JTF (Joint Task Force) Sulu will track down the perpetrators and bring them to justice,” Nograles said.

WITH AL JACINTO, DARWIN PESCO, DIVINA NOVA JOY DELA CRUZ AND REINA TOLENTINO

Source: TheManila Times