ZAMBOANGA CITY – A motorcycle rigged with explosives was detonated at a roadside eatery just outside a military base in the southern Philippine town of Jolo late Saturday, police said.
Police said the blast occurred near the 104th Infantry Brigade in the village of Bus-Bus. “Initial information reveals that said explosive was placed on a motorcycle parked outside the establishment,” said police spokesman Alfrazkhan Abdurajak.
He did not say if there were casualties in the blast or who was behind it and no individual or group claimed responsibility for the attack. But previous bombings in the area had been largely blamed to Abu Sayyaf rebels, whose group pledged allegiance to ISIS.
“As of this moment, Sulu PNP (Philippine National Police) and other law enforcement agencies are securing the premises,” he said.
The military did not release any statement on the bombing and it was not immediately known if there were soldiers in the restaurant at the time of the attack.
In April, the army also disarmed a powerful bomb planted at a karaoke bar outside just 50 meters from the headquarters of the 2nd Marine Brigade in the same village. The bar is frequented by soldiers and located just beside a road where military trucks and tanks pass.
The bomb, made from ammonium nitrate concealed in a cooking gas cylinder, was connected to 9 batteries and cellular phones which could trigger detonation.
The latest attack occurred the same day that a small improvised explosive went off inside a provincial bus in Santo Niño town in South Cotabato province.
The bus, owned by Yellow Bus Lines, came from Isulan town in Sultan Kudarat and heading to Koronadal City when a passenger noticed the explosive and alerted the driver. The passengers were ordered to quickly get off the bus before the bomb exploded.
No individual or group claimed responsibility for the attack and it was unknown if the two explosions were carried out by the Abu Sayyaf. (Mindanao Examiner)
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