AFP intensifies patrol in Sulu to prevent more bombings, attacks

THE military has intensified its patrols in Sulu to capture Abu Sayyaf bandits and prevent more attacks on government facilities in the area, following twin explosions that rocked a police camp in Jolo.

Lt. Col. Harold Cabunoc, chief of the military’s public affairs office, said the Joint Task Group Sulu has augmented its forces conducting patrols within the city.

Cabunoc said this has been meant to preempt any possible attacks, not only kidnapping and bombing, in the area.

Col. Allan Arrojado, the Joint Task Group Sulu commander, has deployed augmentation forces to conduct security patrols in support of the local police, which is also intensifying its own patrols.

“The military cannot leave downtown Jolo.  There is need to beef forces in order to augment the police in the area,” Cabunoc said on Sunday, adding that the local police has also been beefing up its troops in the area.

The intensified patrols came days after explosions rocked Camp Asturias in Jolo, the headquarters of the Sulu provincial police office, on Friday.

Eleven policemen and five civilians, including three children, were injured in the two explosions.

The attack is seen as a retaliation of the Abu Sayyaf group for the death of one of its leaders.

Cabunoc said another attack could happen again.

“We don’t know the motive behind the attacks yet.  One of the targets was a mosque, so what was their motive?” the military official said. SFM