An initial report said the first bomb was attached to a parked motorcycle
\nTLTP
\nSULU
\nAt least 15 people were killed and several others got injured after two explosions, including one reportedly carried out by a female suicide bomber, struck the southern Philippine town of Jolo, according to authorities.
\nPhilippine Red Cross Chief Richard Gordon said the explosion hit at approximately noon (04:00 GMT) on Monday in the capital of Sulu, one of the country\u2019s southernmost provinces.
\nGordon, who is also a senator, said that a motorcycle loaded with improvised explosive devices went off near a military truck. The Red Cross office in Jolo is located near the site of the blast.
\nFive soldiers and four civilians were killed in the first explosion.
\nAs authorities were cordoning off the area, a second explosion reportedly carried out by a female suicide bomber hit, killing one person, Major General Corleto Vinluan said, according to news reports. If confirmed, it is only the fourth known suicide attack in the country.
\nAt least 24 government troops were injured in the two attacks.
\nThe blasts happened not far from the site of a major explosion that killed more than 20 people inside a Catholic church in early 2019, according to state-run PTV channel.
\nImages posted by PTV on social media on Monday showed debris and bodies lying on a street next to a military vehicle. No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks.
\nIn a statement, Philippine police chief Gen Archie Francisco Gamboa said he has ordered an investigation into the deadly incident, adding that all perpetrators should be held accountable for the crime.
\nSulu is known as the stronghold of the Abu Sayyaf Group, an armed group that has allied itself with ISIL (ISIS).
\nAbu Sayyaf has long been battling for independence in the southern region of Mindanao, which they regard as their ancestral homeland dating back to the pre-Spanish colonial period.
\nThe group is notorious for kidnappings, robberies and deadly bombings.
\nIn June, four soldiers were killed in Jolo following an alleged confrontation with police officers, igniting tensions between the two government forces.
\nThe soldiers were reportedly pursuing suspected armed fighters, when they were stopped by police leading to the deadly incident.
\nEarlier on Monday, Maj Gen Vinluan, a military commander in Mindanao, told senators in Manila that it is \u201cpossible\u201d that the police officers involved in the shooting may be related by blood to the Abu Sayyaf suspects pursued by the military.
\n\u201cThat is possible, because almost everyone is related to each other in Sulu. There are ASG [Abu Sayyaf Group] who have relatives in the police force…Sulu is small.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
An initial report said the first bomb was attached to a parked motorcycle TLTP SULU At least 15 people were killed and several others got injured after two explosions, including one reportedly carried out by a female suicide bomber, struck the southern Philippine town of Jolo, according to authorities. Philippine Red Cross Chief Richard Gordon […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":140716,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-140689","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n