China Northeast Asia Southeast Asia South Asia Middle East World Opinion AT Financial Best Whitening Cream When You Want to Brighten Up Your Face, this is a Must Have Item. b.glen AT FINANCE, PHILIPPINES Suicide bombs new terror norm in the Philippines Islamic State-linked groups deploy new extreme tactic that authorities want more legal powers to combat By RICHARD JAVAD HEYDARIAN SEPTEMBER 13, 2019 Philippine investigators examine evidence collected at the 1st Battalion Combat Team in headquarters in Indanan town after two suicide bombers detonated explosives, June 29, 2019. Photo: Philippine military/ Western Mindanao Command The Philippines is grappling with a string of suicide bombings carried out by Islamic State-affiliated groups bent on establishing a caliphate in the archipelagic nation’s southern region. The tactic, frequently deployed in Middle Eastern and South Asian conflicts but until now unseen in the Southeast Asian nation, is fast changing the complexion of Philippine terrorism as long-running, low-intensity insurgent conflicts become increasingly internationalized. Most recently, a female suicide bomber authorities described as “Caucasian-looking” attempted a daring suicide attack on a military checkpoint this month in Indanan, Sulu, a region long wracked by insurgency and terrorism. “The way she walked, she seemed confused, as though uneasy, and she was alone,” said Lieutenant General Cirilito Sobejana, Western Mindanao Command chief, after soldiers foiled the attack. TOP TRENDING STORIES Japan raises stakes with hypersonic missiles “She was holding the trigger mechanism, so we really can say that it was a suicide bombing,” Sobejana added, confirming perhaps the first known female suicide terror Why US outsourced bat virus research to Wuhan attack attempt on Philippine soil. The deeper roots of Chinese demonization Kim reappears looking none the worse for wear Boeing left out of NASA's lunar lander competition Lebanese elites ee as banks come under attack CIA should know if China lied on Covid- 19 Kim Jong Un emerges from the shadows Philippines snap back at China in South China Sea China tells WHO they're not wanted Islamic State ghters in a radicalization video clip targeting the Philippines. Photo: Youtube Philippine authorities believe the captured perpetrator was operating under the command of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), one of the region’s most notorious Islamic State-aligned terrorist organizations. ASG’s leader, Hatib Hajan Sawadjaan, is widely believed to be positioning himself to become Islamic State’s next designated emir in Southeast Asia. Security agents suspect he is trying to score high profile terrorist hits, including through suicide attacks, to bolster his candidacy with the international terror group’s chief leaders. LATEST NEWS Islamic State’s previous emir in Southeast Asia, Isnilon Hapilon, also of the ASG, was China plays divide and rule in killed during the months-long 2017 siege of Marawi, the Philippines only majority South China Sea Muslim city. May 3, 2020 Dossier an indictment of China’s virus response May 3, 2020 Our Exclusive Technology That Penetrates for OPEN a More Beautiful You. US Army is giving Lockheed Martin … how much? May 3, 2020 Philippine Islamic State leader Benito Marohombsar, also known as Abu Dar, was also killed in the clashes, according to DNA tests Philippine security officials said were Boeing left out of NASA’s lunar lander competition confirmed by US counterparts. May 3, 2020 Nearly 10,000 inmates freed from The Philippine military’s costly victory at Marawi scattered the terror operatives across Philippine jails the country. That, analysts say, raises questions about whether Islamic State’s aligned May 2, 2020 groups’ new use of suicide attacks is a sign of strength or weakness. Mexican president wants to rule by decree This month’s attempted attack marked the third suicide bombing operation by Islamic May 2, 2020 State-affiliated groups in the Philippines this year, according to official information. Why UK has world’s worst Covid- 19 death rate In January, an Indonesian couple self-detonated inside a Catholic cathedral in Jolo, May 2, 2020 Sulu, during a Sunday service, killing 23 and injuring more than 100 others. In late CIA should know if China lied on June, two men, including a Filipino, blew themselves up at an army camp in Indanan, Covid-19 killing seven individuals. May 2, 2020 The deeper roots of Chinese demonization May 2, 2020 US approves experimental virus drug May 2, 2020 Though jihadist groups have been active in the southern Philippines for decades, they had until now largely shunned extreme tactics such as suicide bombings. Officials and experts had chalked that up to the region’s largely moderate brand of Islam, which has mostly shirked Islamic jurisprudence and fundamentalist interpretations of the Koran. But Islamic State’s recent entry to the region has brought with it more extreme views and violent tactics. On July 31, 2018, Islamic State operatives conducted the first-ever suicide bombing operation in the Philippines, when a suspected foreign militant drove a van that exploded at a military checkpoint at the outskirts of Basilan in Sulu, killing ten including a child. Just months earlier, an Indonesian family including four teenage children, carried out simultaneous suicide bombings in three churches in Surabaya, Indonesia, killing 13 and wounding 41 individuals. Philippine officials say they are now on high alert for more suicide attacks that target major cities across the country. As one military official asked this writer, “How can you stop someone who is determined to die?” As Islamic State-aligned groups escalate their terror tactics, including through suicide bombings, Philippine officials are weighing potentially extreme countermeasures, including tougher laws that could curb certain rights and liberties. Those curbs are already in place in Mindanao, where martial law was imposed during and after the Marawi siege. The provision, which imposes curfews and suspends various civil liberties, is now under an official review after being extended indefinitely to combat terrorist threats. Civil society groups, business leaders and opposition statesman have all argued to lift martial law, arguing that the restrictions have undermined business confidence, dented the local economy and built local resentments. Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte (in video screen) salutes along with soldiers during the 121st founding anniversary of Philippine army at the army headquarters in Manila on March 20, 2018. Photo: AFP/Ted Aljibe “We cannot tolerate an unlimited martial law,” said Senate minority leader Franklin Drilon in late July while highlighting the law’s detrimental economic and social impacts. “As I said before, martial law is like an antibiotic, and when an antibiotic is used excessively it becomes ineffective,” he added. The uptick in more extreme terror attacks, including suicide bombings, is nonetheless strengthening the hands of officials who favor a tougher approach to counterterrorism. “Whether to extend or not, it’s too early for me to tell…I have to hear the assessment of the police and the military,” Interior Secretary and former military chief Eduardo Año told the author last month in a mix of English and Tagalog. “For me, I’m open to lifting martial law in some areas that we can say are safe, with stable peace and order.” However, Año said that newly elected mayors he spoke with in the region have asked him to maintain martial law until the situation stabilizes. “I think they’re already tired of violence in Mindanao,” he said in the interview. In that direction, Philippine officials are pushing for new counterterrorism legislation to strengthen the hands of security agencies, including in their ability to deal with suicide bomb threats. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, for one, is pushing for amendments to existing legislation, including the Human Security Act, to allow for easier wiretapping and detention of suspected terrorists. Other senior officials, including Duterte’s Cabinet secretary Karlo Nograles, have called for legislative amendments to give counterterrorism laws “more teeth” and thus will “not require an extension of martial law” to combat extremist threats. Asia Times Financial is now live. Linking accurate news, insightful analysis and local knowledge with the ATF China Bond 50 Index, the world's rst benchmark cross sector Chinese Bond Indices. Read ATF now. Get Asia Times Daily in your inbox Fast Accurate News, Commentary and Analysis of Asia Your email Subscribe TAGGED: Islamic State Martial Law Mindanao Philippines Suicide Bombings terrorism Leave a comment Your email address will not be published. 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