BY MARTIN SADONGDONG * AARON RECUENCO
At least 11 people, including six soldiers, died while around 40 others were wounded when two explosions believed to be carried out by a female foreign-looking suicide bomber ripped through a business district at Jolo town proper in Sulu on Monday, authorities said.
Gen. Archie Francisco Gamboa, chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP), said the first blast occurred at 11:53 a.m. inside the Paradise Food Shop on Selantes Street, Plaza Rizal in in Barangay Walled City.
“The 11th Infantry Division and the Joint Task Force Sulu are on high alert following this incident. We advise the public to stay calm but be vigilant to monitor and report any suspicious persons or items or unusual activities in the area,” said Major General Edgard Arevalo, spokesperson of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).
Lieutenant Gen. Corleto Vinluan, commander of Western Mindanao Command (WestMinCom), said five soldiers and four civilians were killed in the first explosion.
Meanwhile, a soldier perished in the second explosion while he was calling out the attention of a foreign-looking woman, who detonated a hand-held improvised explosive device (IED).
Captain Rex Payot, spokesperson of the Joint Task Force Sulu, said the soldiers were conducting a security operation to support local government officials who were on a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) response mission when the first explosion happened.
The identities of the fatalities have yet to be released as of Monday afternoon. Of the injured, 22 are civilians while 18 are soldiers.
Payot said the first blast occurred when an IED planted on a motorcycle parked near a military truck suddenly went off. The truck was carrying soldiers from the 21st Infantry Battalion (21IB).
“We are conducting a COVID-19 support response together with the local officials. Suddenly, nagkaroon ng explosion sa isang motorcycle na nakapark malapit sa M35 truck ng sundalo natin,” he said in a phone call.
‘2 EXPLOSIONS RELATED’
Meanwhile, Lieutenant Colonel Ronald Mateo, civil military operations officer of the 11th Infantry Division (11ID), said the second explosion occurred at 1 p.m. about 100 meters from the site of the first incident just as authorities were conducting a post-blast assessment.
“Ang kwento ng mga nakakita na sundalo is ‘yung bomba is nakalagay sa motorcycle and then pinark doon then umalis ‘yung driver,” Mateo said.
It was not immediately clear if the unidentified motorcycle driver was also the suicide bomber who detonated the second IED.
But Vinluan believes that the two explosions are “related.”
“Related siya. Isa lang ‘yan,” he said.
Mateo said investigators are looking at the Abu Sayyaf Group as the possible perpetrators of the attack.
“Ang ASG talaga ang tinitignan kasi sila ang may kakayahan na mag-carryout ng ganoong klaseng pag-atake,” he said.
The motive behind the attack is yet to be determined although Mateo said among those being considered are the arrest of Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) sub-commander Anduljihad “Idang” Susukan last April 13.
He added that probers will also investigate whether the attack was connected to the suicide bombers being tracked by four Army intelligence operatives who were slain by nine cops in Jolo last June 29.
“Sa ngayon nag-lockdown na kami dito sa Jolo, then tuloy-tuloy ang security operations namin,” Mateo said.
The site of the explosions was near the Mt. Carmel Cathedral which was the site of twin bombings in Jolo on January 27, 2019, which killed 23 people and injuring over 100 others.
