THE casualty count from the latest explosions to rock Jolo, Sulu increased as troops assessed the damage and officials condemned the attack.
As of Monday evening, August 24, 2020, 14 people died and 75 were wounded from the two explosions.
Those killed were seven Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) personnel, one PNP Special Action Force (SAF) personnel and six civilians.
The wounded included 21 AFP personnel, 48 civilians, three policemen and three SAF men.
Malacañang has condemned the attacks.
“We condemn in the strongest possible terms the explosion incidents in Jolo, Sulu today, which left scores dead and wounded, including soldiers,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said in a statement.
“We likewise condole with the families and loved ones of those who died in these tragic incidents,” he said.
Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo described the attack as “more horrific in the context of the pandemic”.
“I grieve with the families of the lost and extend my sympathies to the injured. This attack is even more horrific in the context of the pandemic, when the imperative is to pull together to address the damage already wrought on our health, economy, and way of life,” she said.
“To kill in such a manner, in these times, regardless of motivation, is inhuman,” Robredo added.
She called on the government to “do all that it can to bring those behind this act of terror to justice”.
Authorities believed that a female suicide bomber was behind the attack, which was possibly in retaliation of the arrest of Abu Sayyaf Group leader Anduljihad "Edang" Susukan.
Lieutenant General Corleto Vinluan, Western Mindanao Command chief, said the first improvised explosive device (IED) exploded around 11:50 a.m. in front of the Paradise Food Shop in Barangay Walled City. It was attached to a motorcycle parked in the area.
The second IED exploded at least 100 meters away from the first site. This time, the IED was allegedly carried by a woman.
If confirmed to be a case of suicide bombing, this would be the third suicide bombing incident in Jolo.
The first incident involved a couple who blew themselves up inside the Jolo Cathedral on January 27, 2019.
On June 28, 2019, two alleged suicide bombers attacked a military command post in Indanan, also in Sulu. (MVI from reports by Third Anne Peralta-Malonzo and Jove Moya/SunStar Philippines)