Lorenzana: Sulu blasts ‘obvious suicide bombing’ 

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana

MANILA, Philippines — Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the explosions at a military camp in Sulu that killed eight people and wounded 22 others last Friday appears to be another case of suicide bombing.

“It is evident from the report because this guy knocked on the gate, so the guard went near to ask what the person [needed]. So when the guard was at the gate, the person exploded, so this is obviously a suicide bombing,” he told reporters on Monday.

“Personally, I think it’s a suicide bombing because he was carrying the bomb and he detonated it within the perimeter. There were two of them actually,” he added.

If it is indeed a case of suicide bombing, Lorenzana said this would be the third case of its kind in recent memory, a worrying development in southern Philippines that has been placed under martial law since 2017.

“This is actually a very important development in the south. This is the third one. The first one was in Lamitan, the second was in a cathedral in Jolo. It’s becoming an occurrence and we are very much concerned about this,” Lorenzana said.

The Islamic State has owned up to Friday’s explosions, saying the attack was carried out by its suicide bombers.

“The ISIS claimed [responsibility], but we are still checking. In fact, somebody said the bombers were Indonesians. Somebody said Filipinos, but let us wait for the conclusion until we check the DNA of these people,” Lorenzana said. (Editor: Katherine G. Adraneda)