Philippines Church Bombing: ISIS Claims Jolo Attack

Two bombs exploded at a Roman Catholic cathedral on the island of Jolo in southern Philippines killing 20 people and injuring over 100 Sunday. Those killed inluded at least 15 civilians and five soldiers.

One of the suspects of the bombings has been identified as Alias Kamah, the brother of a slain Abbu Sayyaf leader.

Kamah, the brother of bandit leader Surakah Ingog was caught by a surveillance camera around the cathedral with several other suspects before the blast. While the Islamic State (IS) group said it was behind the attack in the area where jihadist groups are active, the military earlier believed that Abu Sayyaf could be behind the attack.

A statement from the IS read, “The attack was carried out by two knights of martyrdom against a crusader temple.”

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Director General Oscas Albayalde told the press that Kamah is a known bomb maker and authorities are looking into whether or not the suspects are suicide bombers.

The first blast took place during Sunday mass and a second device exploded outside even as a soldier responded, trying to defuse it. The first blast took place around 8:45 a.m. local time (7:45 p.m. Saturday EST) inside the Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel while the second one took place soon after, on the steps of the church.

The Philippines army said in a statement that the explosions were likely caused by improvised explosive devices (IEDs). The main road leading to the church was sealed off as there were vehicles transporting the dead and injured to hospitals. Some of the injured were evacuated by air to the nearby city of Zamboanga.

“I have directed our troops to heighten their alert levels, secure all places of worships and public places at once, and initiate proactive security measures to thwart all hostile plans,” Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said.

The bombings come just a few days after a majority-Muslim area in southern Philippines voted for greater autonomy in a referendum. The referendum was a result of a peace deal between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). With this new law, Muslims in the region will have more control over their affairs, giving authorities and the people hope of quelling long-term separatist violence.

Al Jazeera reported saying the timing of the attack was suspicious. “Last week, there was a referendum and the island of Jolo voted to not be a part of this new autonomous government that is being created,” the report said.

The spokesman for the President Rodrigo Duterte said they condemn this act of terrorism and promised that government forces will pursue the perpetrators of the attack. “The armed forces of the Philippines will rise to the challenge and crush these godless criminals,” he said.

Gregory Wyatt, the director for business intelligence at PSA Philippines Consultancy said, “Just because the (referendum) has passed does not mean that things are going to get better overnight. There are still militant groups that will continue to be active and pose a security threat.”

Pope Francis said, “We express the firmest reproach for this episode of violence. As too did Yousef Al-Othaimeen, the head of the OIC, the world’s largest body of Muslim-majority countries, who said he expressed deep indignation over the bombings.”

The United States, a close ally of the Philippines also condemned the bombings.