2020 Jolo bombings

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2020 Jolo bombings
Part of the Moro conflict
Philippines relief location map (square).svg
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Jolo, Sulu
Location of Jolo in the Philippines
LocationJolo, Sulu, Philippines
Coordinates 06°03′12″N121°00′03″E / 6.05333°N 121.00083°E / 6.05333; 121.00083
DateAugust 24, 2020 (2020-08-24)
11:54–12:57 PhST (UTC+08:00)
Attack type
  • Bombing
  • Suicide bombing
WeaponsBomb
Deaths15 (including one perpetrator)
Injured80
Perpetrators Abu Sayyaf (also known as Islamic State – East Asia Province)

The 2020 Jolo bombings occurred on August 24, 2020, when insurgents alleged to be jihadists from the Abu Sayyaf group detonated two bombs in Jolo, Sulu, Philippines, killing 14 people and wounding 75 others. [1] The first occurred as Philippine Army personnel were assisting in carrying out COVID-19 humanitarian efforts. [2] The second, a suicide bombing, was carried out near the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral. [3]

Contents

Background

For over three decades, the Abu Sayyaf has been launching terrorist attacks in support of making the province of Sulu independent from the Philippines, as part of the Moro conflict. Sulu is primarily Muslim, whereas the Philippines as a whole is primarily Christian. In 2004, the Abu Sayyaf launched the worst terrorist attack in Filipino history, bombing a ferry which killed 116 people. In 2016, they pledged allegiance to the Islamic State. They are known for using improvised explosive devices and for kidnapping foreigners for ransom, especially within Sulu province. [4]

In August 2020, some days prior to the bombing, the Philippine government arrested a number of militants belonging to the Abu Sayyaf organization. Security forces on Sulu were on high alert due to fears of retribution. [2] [5] [6] [7]

Attacks

On August 24, 2020, at 11:54 am, a motorcycle bomb placed next to a military truck detonated outside the Paradise Food Plaza in downtown Jolo, Sulu. The explosion killed six soldiers, six civilians and a police officer, as well as injuring 69 others. The police and military responded to the scene. An hour later, at 12:57 pm, a female suicide bomber approached the cordoned-off area and attempted to enter. Upon being stopped by a soldier, she detonated the bomb she carried, killing herself and the soldier who stopped her, while wounding six police officers. [8] The second blast occurred approximately 100 meters (110 yd) away from the first blast, in front of a branch of the Development Bank of the Philippines. [8] In total, seven soldiers, one police officer, and six civilians were killed; and 21 soldiers, six police officers, and 48 civilians were wounded. The site of the bombing was close to the site of the 2019 Jolo Cathedral bombings. [5] [6] [7] [8]

Aftermath

The following day, the Islamic State – East Asia Province (also known as Abu Sayyaf) claimed responsibility for the attack. The government believes that Abu Sayyaf bombmaker Mundi Sawadjaan created the bombs and armed the attackers. The entire province of Sulu was placed on lockdown following the blasts. [7] [8] [9]

On August 29, 2020, in Patikul, soldiers searching for the perpetrators of the bombings were attacked by fellow Abu Sayyaf militants. The gunfight resulted in the death of a Filipino soldier and the wounding of seven others; two Abu Sayyaf militants also died in the fight. [10]

June shootings

On June 29, nearly two months before the bombings, four Army intelligence personnel, by-then investigating the possible presence of two female suicide bombers in Sulu, were killed by Jolo police officers in a shooting incident, with policemen attempted to plant evidence to cover-up the incident. [11] [12] As the bombing happened in the midst of the investigation of the shooting, the military stated the incident have disrupted the intelligence operations that might have averted the bombings, and raised a possible motive that the police officers are connected with the suicide bombers. [13] [14] [15]

Reactions

Immediately after the attacks, presidential spokesperson Harry Roque condemned the bombings saying "authorities are now conducting an investigation, which includes identifying individuals or groups behind these dastardly attacks." [16] Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles condemned the attacks in "the strongest possible terms" and said that terrorism has "no place in a civilized world". [17] He also stated that he will bring justice to those behind the "inhuman attack". [17] According to Dr. Rommel C. Banlaoi, a counter-terrorism expert and the Chairman of the Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research, the 2020 Jolo bombings were strong indications that suicide terrorism had become the new face of terror in the Philippines. [18] Even prior to the 2020 Jolo bombings, Banlaoi has already explained, "The rise of suicide terrorism in the Philippines arises from the contagious effect of the ideology of violent extremism propagated by ISIS foreign terrorist fighters in the country. ISIS foreign terrorist fighters capitalize on local grievances, historical animosities, and feeling of injustices to propagate violent extremism in the Philippines, particularly in conflict-affected areas of Mindanao. Violent extremism is the ideology that justifies acts of terrorism in the Philippines." [19]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abu Sayyaf</span> Jihadist militant group in the southwestern Philippines

Abu Sayyaf, officially known by the Islamic State as the Islamic State – East Asia Province, is a Jihadist militant and pirate group that followed the Wahhabi doctrine of Sunni Islam. It is based in and around Jolo and Basilan islands in the southwestern part of the Philippines, where for more than five decades, Moro groups had been engaged in an insurgency seeking to make Moro Province independent. The group is considered violent and is responsible for the Philippines' worst terrorist attack, the bombing of MV Superferry 14 in 2004, which killed 116 people. The name of the group was derived from Arabic abu, and sayyaf. As of April 2023, the group was estimated to have about 20 members, down from 1,250 in 2000. They use mostly improvised explosive devices, mortars and automatic rifles.

The 2002 Zamboanga bombings were a series of attacks perpetrated on the October 2, 17 and 21, 2002, around the southern Philippine port of Zamboanga City, Mindanao island. Eleven people died and over 180 others were wounded in the four bomb attacks allegedly perpetrated by Islamic extremists with connections to the Abu Sayyaf insurgent group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Operation Enduring Freedom – Philippines</span> Military operation

Operation Enduring Freedom – Philippines (OEF-P) or Operation Freedom Eagle was part of Operation Enduring Freedom and the global War on Terror. The Operation targeted the various Jihadist terror groups operating in the country. By 2009, about 600 U.S. military personnel were advising and assisting the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) in the Southern Philippines. In addition, by 2014, the CIA had sent its elite paramilitary officers from their Special Activities Division to hunt down and kill or capture key terrorist leaders. This group had the most success in combating and capturing Al-Qaeda leaders and the leaders of associated groups like Abu Sayyaf.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patikul</span> Municipality in Sulu, Philippines

Patikul, officially the Municipality of Patikul, is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Sulu, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 79,564 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moro conflict</span> Separatist conflict in the Philippines

The Moro conflict was an insurgency in the Mindanao region of the Philippines which involved multiple armed groups. Peace deals have been signed between the Philippine government and two major armed groups, the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), but other smaller armed groups continue to exist. In 2017, the peace council settled around 138 clan conflicts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2009 Mindanao bombings</span> Terrorist attacks in Datu Piang, Jolo, Cotabato, and Iligan in Mindanao, Philippines

The Mindanao bombings was a series of seemingly unrelated bomb attacks that took place on July 4, 5, and 7, 2009 in the towns of Datu Piang and Jolo, and the cities of Cotabato and Iligan in Mindanao, Philippines. The bombings killed around 7 people and injured at least 66. The Armed Forces of the Philippines has blamed several militant organizations active in Mindanao, such as the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the Abu Sayyaf, and Jemaah Islamiyah.

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The following is a list of attacks which have been carried out by Abu Sayyaf, a militant group based in and around Jolo and Basilan islands in the southwestern part of the Philippines, where for more than four decades, Moro groups have been engaged in an insurgency for an independent province in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maute group</span> 2012–2019 Philippine Islamist militant group

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On July 31, 2018, a bomb exploded in the town of Lamitan in Basilan, Philippines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">11th Infantry Division (Philippines)</span> Military unit

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Jolo Cathedral bombings</span> 2019 bombing of Jolo Cathedral in Sulu, Philippines

In the morning of January 27, 2019, two bombs exploded at the Roman Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Jolo, Sulu, Philippines. Twenty people were killed and 102 others injured. The bombings took place a week after the autonomy plebiscite held on January 21 for the creation of Bangsamoro. It is believed that the Abu Sayyaf carried out the attacks, and the Islamic State claimed responsibility. President Rodrigo Duterte responded by issuing an "all-out war" directive against the Abu Sayyaf. The bombings were widely condemned by other countries and organizations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jolo Cathedral</span> Roman Catholic church in Sulu, Philippines

The Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, also known as Jolo Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Jolo, Sulu and the seat of the Apostolic Vicariate of Jolo. The cathedral is located in Jolo, a volcanic island in Sulu Province of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao in the Philippines. The cathedral is dedicated to the Virgin Mary under the title Our Lady of Mount Carmel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Indanan bombings</span>

The 2019 Indanan bombings occurred on 28 June 2019, when two suicide bombers detonated their explosives in two areas of a military camp in Indanan, Sulu, Philippines killing three soldiers and three civilians. The Philippine military confirmed it was two suicide bombers that caused the attack. They also believed that the attack was conducted in a similar manner to an attack on a cathedral in Jolo in January 2019. The military also blames the Abu Sayyaf for the earlier attack.

References

  1. ↑ Petty, Martin; Davies, Ed; Richardson, Alex (August 24, 2020). "Twin bombings kill 15, wound scores in Philippine south". Reuters . Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  2. 1 2 "14 killed in Jolo twin bombings in southern Philippines". Al Jazeera English. August 24, 2020. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  3. ↑ Gutierrez, Jason (August 24, 2020). "Two Explosions Rip Through Philippines, Killing at Least 14". The New York Times . Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Philippines unrest: Who are the Abu Sayyaf group?". BBC World News. BBC. October 16, 2017. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  5. 1 2 "Philippines: Twin explosions hit Jolo, killing at least 14". BBC News. BBC. August 24, 2020. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  6. 1 2 "Two Explosions Rip Through Philippines, Killing at Least 14". NY Times. August 24, 2020. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  7. 1 2 3 Lacuata, Rose Carmelle (August 24, 2020). "Philippine military eyes Abu Sayyaf as responsible for twin Jolo bombing". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Andrade, Jeanette I.; Alipala, Julie S. (August 25, 2020). "Abu Sayyaf leader hunted after 2 blasts rock Jolo". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  9. ↑ Maitem, Jeoffrey (August 25, 2020). "IS militants claim responsibility for Sulu blasts". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
  10. ↑ Scout ranger, 2 ASG bandits killed in Patikul encounter
  11. ↑ "Four soldiers dead in Jolo 'shooting' incident with PNP". CNN Philippines. June 29, 2020. Archived from the original on August 31, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  12. ↑ "AFP accuses PNP of cover-up in Jolo shooting". Rappler. August 19, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  13. ↑ "Sulu cops connected with suicide bombers? Military official cites possible motive on Jolo shooting". Philippine Daily Inquirer. September 1, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  14. ↑ "Missed opportunity? AFP says Jolo blasts could have been averted if June police shooting did not happen". CNN Philippines. August 25, 2020. Archived from the original on August 30, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  15. ↑ "Jolo suicide bomber subject of 4 slain soldiers' intel mission – sources". Rappler. August 24, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
  16. ↑ "Philippines: Twin explosions hit Jolo, killing at least 14". BBC News. August 24, 2020. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  17. 1 2 Kabiling, Genalyn (August 24, 2020). "Gov't vows to hold bombing perpetrators accountable". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  18. ↑ "Suicide terrorism is the new face of terrorism in the Philippines". GMA News. August 29, 2020. Retrieved August 29, 2020.
  19. ↑ Banlaoi, Rommel (August 10, 2020). "Philippines: Threats Of Violent Extremism And Terrorism Amidst COVID-19 Pandemic – Analysis". Eurasia Review. Eurasia Review. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
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