Another terrorist group set off a bomb as New Year’s Eve celebrations were beginning to take shape in the Philippines. The incident occurred in a southern Philippines shopping mall near the baggage counter while people were doing their shopping for the holiday. Muslim militants were suspected in the bombing.
The South Seas mall in Cotabato City was the site of the bombing. Officials found an unexploded bomb close to the first one. Fortunately, it had not detonated. As a result, the Philippine government locked down the city, according to “military and police officials,” the Associated Press (AP) reported.
The bomb that exploded wounded commuters, shoppers, and vendors. Two were killed and approximately 30 people were injured in the blast. Seven of the dead were militants who died in the fight that ensued.
President of the Philippines Rodrigo Duterte is one of the world’s most feared dictators, but Donald Trump is very fond of him. Duterte said that one-third of his country was under martial law so that the military and police can handle the siege. Apparently, this was the most notable security crisis that has occurred since he was voted into office in the middle of 2016.
Major General Cirilito Sobejana said that the investigation indicated that the bomb’s design was not unlike that of bombs previously used by “local Muslim militants.” These people are committed to the Islamic State group. Government officials have taken the lead to halt Daulah Islamiyah. Sobejana said:
‘This is a part of the retaliation, but the problem is they’re victimizing innocent civilians.’
Deputy Police Director of Cotabato Superintendent Romeo Galgo Jr. said witnesses noticed a man placing a box near the mall’s entrance, which was a natural bottleneck for the shoppers. The bomb was so powerful that it threw “shattered glass panels” all the way into the street.
The bomb blast injured two people who died in transit to the hospital, according to Sobejana. The remaining injured have all been taken to the hospital.
Cotabato Mayor Cynthia Guiani-Sayadi made a formal declaration against the bombing. She asked for the people to help fight terrorism wherever they lived and worked in the city:
‘This is not just another terroristic act but an act against humanity. I cannot fathom how such evil exists in this time of merry making (sic). It is unimaginable how some people can start the new year with an act of cruelty but no matter how you threaten us, the people of Cotabato are resilient. … We will stand up against terrorism.’
The Philippines has been barraged by bombings. The government blamed Muslim militants. Pockets of militants in the country’s marshlands have been involved in “intense fighting and military airstrikes.” Almost 1,100 died, and they were primarily militants, according to the Philippine government. Hundred of thousands of people living in the villages were displaced as a result of the militants’ attacks.
The militants were not happy when the government and the largest Muslim group signed an agreement. The government was worried that radical Muslim groups might try to undermine and express their resistance with more bombings and attacks. The new agreement established a new law setting up a Muslim “autonomous region” in southern Phillipines.
Featured image is a screenshot via YouTube.
