ZAMBOANGA CITY: Eleven people were killed when a car bomb exploded on Tuesday at a security checkpoint after government militias and soldiers stopped the suspicious-looking vehicle in Lamitan City in the southern Philippine province of Basilan.
The powerful blast obliterated the vehicle and left a huge crater. Among those killed were a woman and a child.
Five soldiers were wounded in the explosion.
It was unknown how many people were inside the van, but media reports said among the passengers were believed to be foreign terrorists.
The suspected terrorists, according to the reports, came from a nearby town and heading to downtown Lamitan when they were stopped at the checkpoint after the passengers could not speak the local dialect or answer questions asked by militias. Minutes later the explosion was heard.
Col. Edgard Arevalo, spokesman for the Armed Forces of the Philippines [AFP], identified the 11th casualty as the driver of the vehicle.
Arevalo said the driver was an Abu Sayyaf member under the command of Furuji Indama, a Basilan-based commander of the terrorist group.
But in a news conference in Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, he downplayed the incident, reminding the public not to call it as a lone wolf attack, terrorist attack or foreign terrorist attack.
“Because these are speculations and up to now, investigation is still ongoing and we should not preempt this by giving these terms that would definitely terrorize our people and make then insecure,” Arevalo told reporters.
Lt. Col. Gerry Besana, spokesman for the military’s Western Mindanao Command, said five of the 11 victims were members of the Civilian Armed Forces Geographical Unit (Cafgu), four were civilians and one was a soldier.
The civilians killed were all family members of the Cafgu militiamen, according to Besana.
He identified the victims as Corporal Samad Jumah, the detachment commander; Cafgu members Muid Manda, Adzlan Abdula, Titing Omar (the child), Hermilito Gapo Jr. and Jerry Inso; and civilians Hadji Radia Manda, Garry Omar, Rosa Inso and Rosida Titing.
Wounded in the explosion were two other Cafgu members and five Scout Rangers from the Philippine Army.
Basilan is a known stronghold of the terrorist Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) whose leaders have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (IS).
Several foreign fighters had been killed in clashes with soldiers in the province in recent years.
Three goats grazing in a nearby field also died from the explosion, which can be heard from as far as five kilometers away.
Among those killed in the blast was the militia commander whose unit is under the supervision of the Philippine Army.
The government condemned the Basilan attack, calling it as a “war crime.”
In a news conference, Malacañang spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said the attack was “a war crime because it
constitutes an indiscriminate attack” in violation of the International Humanitarian Law (IHL).
“We condemn in the strongest possible terms the latest terrorist attack in Basilan perpetrated in violation of our laws,” Roque told reporters.
“It’s an indiscriminate attack. Well, it’s a fact that Basilan is an area with a non-international armed conflict. And there’s already a domestic law on International Humanitarian Law. So under IHL, you must limit your attacks pursuant to military objective. You must limit it to military targets, and you must avoid protected individuals, including civilians,” he said.
Roque assured the public that authorities would ensure that perpetrators of the attack would be captured immediately.
“Authorities are now investigating the incident even as we vow to bring the perpetrators of this brazen attack to justice,” he said.
The Palace official added that there was no proof yet that the ASG was behind the explosion.
“We do not know who’s behind it yet. They’re still investigating,” Roque said, as he reiterated President Rodrigo Duterte’s call for ASG members to surrender.
Meanwhile, Roque said the military should look into its intelligence capability given that the Basilan attack happened under martial law in Mindanao.
Martial law in Mindanao will end on December 31, 2018.
“I do not know how it happened. What I’m saying is illegal acts will happen whether or not we have intelligence communities. Perhaps, one thing that the military and security establishments must look into is their intelligence capability,” Roque said.
The attack came just more than a year since IS-affiliated Maute terrorists laid siege to Marawi City, Lanao del Sur province, which prompted Duterte to declare military rule in the whole of Mindanao.
It serves to remind the government to step up its intelligence and security capabilities to address this “new deadly threat,” according to Sen. Panfilo Lacson.
“If it can be established that it was indeed a case of suicide bombing, considering that it was the first of its kind in the country, it is frightening to say the least as, and God forbid, it could start a trend of a series of such terroristic acts that could hit other highly populated urban centers,” he said.
Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara echoed Lacson, raising the need to intensify intelligence gathering to prevent similar incidents.
Senators Nancy Binay and Risa Hontiveros asked authorities to dig deeper into the supposed suicide bombing.
Binay expressed hope that “what happened today won’t sidetrack our efforts to achieve true peace in Mindanao.”
Hontiveros agreed, saying, “It [government] must see to it that this incident will not derail our efforts to achieve peace and prosperity in the region, especially with the passage of the Bangsamoro Organic Law.”
Police heightened the alert level in Northern Mindanao over the Basilan bombing, warning supporters of terror groups of the government’s sustained drive against them.
Chief Supt. Timoteo Pacleb, police regional director in Northern Mindanao, said the regional police command and the AFP had been conducting a joint operation against terrorism and its possible perpetrators in the region.
“The police and the military have not slackened on their mandate to secure the people in Mindanao and we are always thankful to the civilian communities for their support in the fight against all forms of terror and criminalities in the region,” Pacleb added.
The warning against the terror groups came after police unearthed a cache of foodstuff contained in 40 plastic gallons in the village of Dominorog in Talakag, Bukidnon, on Sunday.
Pacleb said the plastic gallons were filled with rice, sugar, salt and mongo seeds.
with DEMPSEY REYES BERNADETTE E. TAMAYO AND CRIS DIAZ