A suicide bombing by widows

While bombings in some areas in Mindanao seems to have become a common incident these past few decades, however there seems to be a change in the present situation as we saw in the recent twin bombing in Jolo last Monday which killed many soldiers and citizens. Philippine Army chief Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, who was part of ground command visits, identified one of the suicide bombers as alias “Nanh”, widow of the first known Filipino suicide bomber, Norman Lasuca, and the other as alias “Indah Nay”, wife of slain Abu Sayyaf sub-leader Talha Jumsah, alias “Abu Talha”, former liaison of the Islamic State.

Yes, the two were the wives of the first Filipino suicide bomber and that of the slain ASG-Isis conduit. The second suicide bomber triggered her suicide vest when people were already at the scene of the first bombing.

As pointed out by Western Mindanao Command chief Maj. Gen. Corleto Vinluan, who in was in Jolo for a security meeting with Sulu Gov. Abdusakur Tan Sr. and the local government units of the province, Lasuca, who had an accomplice said to be of Moroccan descent, struck the camp of 1st Brigade Combat Team in Sitio Tanjung, Barangay Kajatian, Indanan town, on June 28, 2019 where five died and 11 were injured. So now Nanh Lasuca committed this suicide bombing to honor her husband who also died from suicide bombing.

The first female suicide bomber exploded the IED strapped to her body between the military M450 and M35 trucks parked temporarily in front of Paradise Food Plaza along Serantes Street, just across the public plaza and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Cathedral. The explosion mangled the body of the suspect beyond recognition. I did see her hand on what I think were the remains of her body in the Facebook page of the AFP.

The second attacker, wearing a Burqa, detonated her bomb after she was prevented by Private John Agustin to breach the cordon and hit a larger military and police security crowd. Private Agustin, a member of the 35th Infantry Battalion and native of Polomok, South Cotabato, and many of his fellow troopers died from the explosion.

I went out of my way to see the gruesome photos of this carnage and it was truly horrifying. I said to myself, this should not be happening in the Philippines. At least seven soldiers, a policeman, and six civilians were killed while the injured include 24 soldiers, six policemen, and 48 civilians.

The Philippine Army has paid homage to the eight soldiers who died in the twin suicide bombings in Jolo. The Army identified the personnel who were killed in action as Staff Sgt. Louie Cuarteros, Staff Sgt. Manuelito Oria, Pvt. Omair Muksan, Pvt. Juvienjay Emlani, Pvt. John Ray Paler, Pvt. Aiub Sahid, Pvt. James Apolinario from the 21st Infantry Battalion, and Pvt. John P. Agustin from the 35th Infantry Battalion. Army chief Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana extended his condolences to the families of the fallen and assured them of assistance saying, “The Philippine Army grieves over the death of these men. We honor their sacrifice in serving our country and protecting the people of Jolo, Sulu.”

Sobejana wants Sulu placed under martial law following Monday’s twin explosions. He said he would make a formal recommendation to Armed Forces of the Philippines chief Gen. Gilbert Gapay and Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana. I totally agree with this decision and I think Pres. Duterte is also contemplating the same thing. I believe that declaring martial law in Jolo will help bring back normalcy and help control the movement of people.

Also, the Philippine National Police mobilized its security forces against the Abu Sayyaf bandits believed responsible for the bombings.

PNP chief Gen. Archie Francisco Gamboa has directed the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region police to intensify intelligence and law enforcement operations in coordination with the AFP. He instructed policemen in Sulu to intensify checkpoints and visibility patrols to restrict movements of terrorists. He also urged the people with information on the suspects’ identities and whereabouts to report to authorities to prevent more acts of terrorism. Perhaps a cursory check of the widows of the Abu Sayyaf might be of some help.