At least 15 people killed in Philippine blasts

The bodies of victims (center) lie on the pavement as police and military personnel cordon off the site where an improvised bomb exploded next to a military vehicle in the town of Jolo, Sulu province on the southern island of Mindanao on August 24 (Photo: AFP)

Major General Corleto Vinluan, the commanding general of the military's Western Mindanao Command based in Zamboanga city, said that the first explosion occurred around 11:55 a.m (local time) when a motorcycle bomb went off in front of a grocery store along a busy street in Jolo, the capital of Sulu province.

While troops were cordoning off the first bomb site, "a suicide bomber attempted to penetrate the area and blasted himself" at around 1:00 p.m, the military said.

The two explosions killed seven soldiers, a policeman, six civilians and a suicide bomber, and wounded 21 soldiers, six policemen and 48 civilians.

Metro Jolo was locked down to prevent further casualties and preempt any other untoward incident, the military said, adding that combat clearing operations and investigations are currently being conducted to identify the perpetrators.

Jolo has long been a base for the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group, which is responsible for the series of kidnappings, deadly bombings, ambushes of security personnel, public beheadings, assassinations, and extortion in the Mindanao region.

Twin blasts also hit the Jolo Cathedral on January 27, 2019, which killed 23 and injured 95./.

VNA