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Indo-Pacific INDO-PACIFIC Philippines Female Suicide Bombing Has ISIS Fingerprints OE Watch Commentary: The Philippines has seen varying degrees of activities by militants loyal to ISIS. The excerpted 24 August article on rappler.com, which reports on terrorism in the Philippines, discussed the latest operation conducted by ISIS-loyal militants. The operation demonstrates that many of the militants’ tactics and targets remain the same as they were several years ago. According to the article, on 24 August, 17 people, including four soldiers, were killed and 75 others wounded in a suicide bombing near a Jolo church and second bomb blast near a bank. The church was the same one where ISIS-loyal militants, including a female suicide bomber, killed 23 people, mostly worshippers, in January 2019. The article also states that a female suicide bomber detonated the second bomb near the bank. This female suicide bomber’s tie to ISIS is that she has contacts to the nephew of Abu Sayyaf’s leader, who is also the ISIS leader in the Philippines. Aftermath of the Jolo Cathedral bombings. Source: Albert Alcain/Presidential Photo, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aftermath_of_the_Jolo_Cathedral_bombings. Following the two bombings, the article notes that military jpg CC 2.0 / Public Domain authorities urged civilians to stay vigilant. Even though there was a heavy security presence in the area where the bombings took place—which is why several soldiers were killed—the suicide bomber and militants who planted the other bomb were still able to evade security. The article also states that Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), which had previously fought the Philippines’ military, is actively supporting counter-terrorism efforts. One of Abu Sayyaf’s former leaders, for example, was captured by the MNLF and handed over to the military. Despite the progress the military has made in reaching peace with the MNLF, the article highlights how achieving the same peace with Abu Sayyaf and its allied ISIS-loyal militants remains a remote possibility. End OE Watch Commentary (Zenn) “The second explosion was caused by a female suicide bomber with suspected links to Abu Sayyaf bomber Mundi Sawadjaan, nephew of Abu Sayyaf sub-leader and Islamic State (ISIS) head in the Philippines Hajan Sawadjaan.” Source: “14 People Killed, 75 Wounded as Twin Blasts Hit Jolo Town Center.” www.rappler.com, 24 August 2020. https://rappler.com/nation/ deadly-twin-explosions-jolo-town-center Back-to-back explosions rocked downtown Jolo, Sulu, around noon on Monday, August 24, killing at least 14 people and wounding 75 others, the military said. The secondary blast was on the same street, just 100 meters from the first one. The second explosion was caused by a female suicide bomber with suspected links to Abu Sayyaf bomber Mundi Sawadjaan, nephew of Abu Sayyaf sub-leader and Islamic State (ISIS) head in the Philippines Hajan Sawadjaan, said Philippine Army 11th Infantry Division civil-military relations officer Lieutenant Colonel Ronaldo Mateo. The AFP Joint Task Force Sulu and the Philippine Army’s 11th Infantry Division are on high alert, AFP spokesperson Major General Edgard Arevalo said. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a statement, “We call on the residents of Jolo to stay vigilant, and report suspicious personalities and unattended items in their areas.” The island province of Sulu is the lair of the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group. One of its top leaders, Abduljihad “Idang” Susukan, was handed over to police by Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) founding chairman Nur Misuari on August 13. OE Watch | October 2020 34.
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