Suicide bombers on the loose

Sobejana disclosed that the two alleged suicide bombers were tasked to conduct attacks in Western Mindanao areas, raising security concerns in the region

Government security forces are now hot on the trail of two more suspected suicide bombers following Sunday’s suicide attack at a military detachment in Sulu.

Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, commander of the military’s Western Mindanao Command (WestMinCom), said the two unnamed terror suspects are part of a group of five terrorists which authorities are hunting.

The group included the Caucasian-looking female bomber responsible in the attack on the camp of the Army’s 35th Infantry Battalion (IB) in Indanan town, he said.

But Sobejana disclosed that the two alleged suicide bombers were tasked to conduct attacks in Western Mindanao areas, raising security concerns in the region.

“We have no report on training for suicide bombing, but there were five terror members who were tasked to do suicide bombings,” Sobejana told the Daily Tribune.

“Three (bombs) exploded already. We are closely monitoring the remaining two. We are doing our best to prevent further bombings from happening,” he added.

Sobejana disclosed that the military learned about the five alleged suicide bombers following the attack launched by Norman Lasuca and an unidentified companion last 28 June, also in Indanan, Sulu, and through intelligence gathering.

Lasuca was the suicide bomber tagged in the attack against the Army’s 1st Brigade Combat Team, also in Sulu, that killed eight people and wounded 22 others. Lasuca, a former child warrior, was identified based on the DNA samples from his mother Vilma.

He did succeed Norman Lasuca (right) shows an eerie shirt print prior to blowing himself up in front of a military camp in Indanan, Sulu last 28 June. At left is Lasuca’s mother, Velman.

Lasuca was with another suicide bomber, who remains unidentified, during the attack that coincided with Sobejana’s assumption as WestMinCom chief last June.

He said the military still could not determine the nationality of the two suspected suicide bombers being trailed.

“After the 28 June bombing n Sulu, we learned that there were five of them who were tasked to conduct suicide bombings,” Sobejana confirmed.

The group of suicide bombers is believed to have been assembled by Abu Sayyaf leader Hajan Sawadjaan, the most radical among the present ASG commanders.

Except for the unidentified suicide bomber, there was no other casualty in the attack at the detachment of the Army’s 35th IB at around 5:48 p.m. on Sunday in Barangay Tagbak in Indanan town.

Sobejana described the suicide bomber as a “female Caucasian” but could not ascertain her nationality.

“We will know her nationality through DNA testing,” he added.

The female bomber was wearing the traditional “abaya” or the long black dress usually worn by Muslim women when she detonated herself right in front of the 35th IB gate.

Sobejana said soldiers noticed the suspect acting suspiciously and warned her against proceeding to the camp’s gate.

Counting the latest bombing, only four suicide attacks have been recorded in the Philippines.

Only Lasuca was confirmed as the lone Filipino among those who sacrificed themselves for their extremist cause.

The military official is not discounting the possibility that the latest attack was meant to discredit the establishment of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) — the result of the decades-long peace negotiations between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

The latest bombing came immediately after decommissioning more than 1,000 MILF fighters as part of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, which paved the way for the establishment of BARMM.

The suicide bombing was the second attack since the decommissioning of the MILF fighters after a blast at the Isulan market in Sultan Kudarat on Saturday.

The Sultan Kudarat attack was made through an improvised explosive device placed at the parking area for motorcycles. The explosion hurt at least eight people.

The Islamic State claimed responsibility over the Isulan blast. On the other hand, no group owned the suicide bombing in Indanan.

Sobejana called on the public to remain vigilant.

“We assure the public that the WestMinCom forces shall sustain our security and peace efforts to prevent hostile acts that may disrupt the peace and development in the Bangsamoro region,” Sobejana said.

Relatedly, he told a forum yesterday that the military is monitoring seven foreign terrorists operating in the southern Philippines.

He said that among the nationalities of the seven being trailed include Indonesian, Moroccan and Malaysian. The others have yet to be ascertained.

Sobejana and Joint Task Force Sulu commander Maj. Gen. Corleto Vinluan Jr. lauded the alert soldiers of the 35th IB for thwarting the suicide bombing.

“The suicide bombing could have resulted in tremendous casualties if it was not properly addressed by our soldiers. Hence, I commend them for such heroic achievement,” Vinluan said.

He said the “incident is an indication of ASG’s desperation to sow fear among the people of Sulu because of their dwindling membership and strength.”

Worth noting also was that the twin attacks that transpired before yesterday’s sixth anniversary of the Zamboanga City siege led by the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) faction of chairman Nur Misuari.

The three-week siege was laid in protest of the signing the peace deal between the government and the MILF, a breakaway faction of the MNLF, in August 2013. It ended in the killing of 19 government troops and 208 MNLF fighters.

Currently, President Rodrigo Duterte is eyeing a peace deal with Misuari, particularly in Sulu province, to ensure that lasting peace is achieved in southern Philippines.