Security forces will keep a tight watch on Sulu following last Monday’s deadly explosions which left 15 people dead and dozens injured as information arose that a new breed of suicide bombers, unseen before in the country, is being raised by terror groups.

The island province of Sulu was tagged by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) as the lair of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), which is considered the country’s main terror group that gained notoriety for atrocities such as kidnap for ransom, murder and suicide bombings.

According to the military, it is highly possible the terrorists are plotting more attacks, which was the reason for all troops in the province to be placed on high alert.

Two female suicide bombers, identified as “Nanah” and “Inda Nay,” were confirmed to have triggered the twin blasts in Jolo on 24 August 2020,

Nanah is the widow of Filipino suicide bomber Norman Lasuca, while Inda Nay was the wife of Talha Jumsah, also known as Abu Talha, who acted as the liaison between the Abu Sayyaf and the Islamic State (IS) group.

The ASG is the main IS sympathizer in Sulu. It has an estimated strength of 300 fighters who are largely locals and some foreigners.

Terror groups have close affiliations with ASG leader and bomb expert Mundi Sawadjaan, who leads the faction affiliated with the Daesh and is suspected responsible for the deadly twin bombings that rocked the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Cathedral, also in Jolo, in January 2019 that killed 20 people and wounded more than a hundred others.

Maj. Gen. Corleto Vinluan, Western Mindanao Command (WestMinCom) chief, disclosed the military is not discounting the fact that jihadists have found ways to slip past through intensified security cordons the military have implemented.

“When it comes to terrorism, there is no such thing as an impenetrable barrier. Although we foiled several attempts in the past, sometimes they slip through. But it does not mean that the military has been remiss in doing its job,” Vinluan said in a previous radio interview.

“As long as IS is there, incidents like suicide bombing, which is their signature, is possible. The beheading of kidnap victims or of soldiers, will also continue,” he added.

The official went on by stating that although security forces had neutralized foreign terrorists who served as mentors to local extremists, it is possible the terror agents may have recruited and trained others who are not in the military’s radar.

Foreigners neutralized
“The foreigners, we killed them already. They were able to train terrorists here sometime in 2016 to 2018. But there is a possibility there are more, that’s why we are doubly careful. But the manhunt operations continue against the masterminds,” Vinluan noted.

AFP Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Gilbert Gapay said the military is now also tracing the links among the terror groups.

“We are also looking at their logistics and support network and there are some leads,” Gapay said in a separate briefing.

“We have identified some NGO (non-government organizations), conduits and there is also evidence that manifest foreign funding and we are really coordinating with the Anti-Money Laundering Council here and other entities in checking these accounts suspected to be the channel of funding for the Abu Sayyaf Group,” he added.

WesMinCom chief Maj. Gen. Corleto Vinluan Jr. also rejected calls to place Sulu province under martial rule as he stressed there are enough people who are willing to share information following the twin blasts that rocked the province on Monday.

Vinluan said civilians helped authorities neutralize five suicide bombers in the aftermath of the blast that saw 15 people killed and scores injured.

“With the active participation of local officials down to barangay level, including civilians, we no longer need a declaration of martial law,” Vinluan said. “Preventing and countering terrorism is a shared responsibility,” he added.

Sulu Governor Abdusakur Tan and Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana had rejected the request of military and police leaders for martial law in Sulu.

“There will be no martial law,” Lorenzana said late Tuesday.

Still in Sulu
“Sawadjaan is still here in Sulu,” Vinluan added.

“We need the support of US and other countries in locating the elements of terrorist groups here in Sulu,” he said, adding that the new law that allows terror suspects to be detained for up to 24 days without charge will also be a “big help.”

In a separate interview, Vinluan disclosed that Sawadjaan also masterminded the double bombing.

Sawadjaan trains fighters to mount bomb attacks and Vinluan stressed that manhunt operations against the mastermind continue. (Daily Tribune)