Twin Explosions in the Philippines Leave Several Dead, Wounded

Twin explosions rocked the southern Philippine province of Sulu on Monday morning, August 24, leaving several dead and over a dozen others injured.

The Philippine National Police confirmed that the blast occurred at 11:53 a.m. in the Jolo town plaza in front of a cathedral that was also bombed in 2019. Police said that they are still working to identify the suspects involved.

The Philippine Military said in an interview with local radio that six soldiers were killed in the explosions. It added that 18 soldiers and at least 22 civilians were injured. A motorcycle loaded with explosive material detonated near a military truck, the military said.

The Red Cross said that a second explosion occurred at the back of a municipal office.

Ronald Mateo, a civil-military relations officer of 11th infantry battalion, told local radio the blast site was a busy commercial area.

Mateo said the second bomb was believed to have been detonated by a “suicide bomber.”

The Philippine Coast Guard has placed southwestern Mindanao under red alert following the blasts.

The province of Sulu in the southernmost part of the Philippines is a hotbed for the Abu Sayyaf Group, a local Jihadist militant cell that has allied with the Islamic State.

The group has carried out deadly bombings and kidnapping of foreign nationals in the past.