ZAMBOANGA CITY – An improvised explosive went off Monday evening outside the Lamitan City Hall in the southern Philippine province of Basilan, police said.
Police said it is investigating the motive of the bombing and who was behind the explosion which damaged a water pipe and portion of a wall surrounding the government building. There was no report of casualties from the explosion.
No individual or group claimed responsibility for the blast, but the Abu Sayyaf, a pro-ISIS terrorist group, is actively operating in Basilan, one of five provinces under the restive Muslim autonomous region.
Police said witnesses claimed seeing two men riding tandem on a motorcycle outside the city hall minutes before the explosion. It was unclear why police had no checkpoints or patrols in the area.
The blast occurred just a day after a pair of Abu Sayyaf fighters Jusrad Hudjata, 37; and Ahmad Pahalawan, 32, surrendered to the military in Basilan. They also yielded two rifles, according to Lt. Col. Cyril Santander, commander of the 18th Infantry Battalion.
Since January, a total of 17 terrorists had surrendered to authorities
and mostly were provided government aid as part of a program to lure Abu Sayyaf
members to surrender peacefully. (Mindanao Examiner)
No comments:
Post a Comment