Two bomb explosions outside Jolo Cathedral in the Mindanao region of the Philippines killed 19 people on Sunday. Muslim militants are said to be active at this island in southern Philippines.
The first bomb went off in or near the Jolo cathedral in the provincial capital, followed by a second blast outside the compound as government forces were responding to the attack, security officials said. According to the Philippine National Police chief Oscar Albayalde, 19 people are reported to be dead and 48 wounded. Casualties included both troops and civilians.
Jolo island has been troubled by clashes between Muslims and Christians for decades. been troubled by the presence of Abu Sayyaf militants, who are blacklisted by the United States and the Philippines as a terrorist organization because of years of bombings, kidnappings and beheadings.
The explosion follows a referendum asking the Muslim whether they back a plan by separatists and the government to create a new self-administered region. The referendum was rejected by the town of Jolo.
Photos on social media showed debris and bodies lying on a busy street outside the Cathedral of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, which has been hit by bombs in the past. Troops in armoured carriers sealed off the main road leading to the church while vehicles were transporting the dead and wounded to the hospital. Some casualties were evacuated by air to nearby Zamboanga city.
"I have directed our troops to heighten their alert level, secure all places of worships and public places at once, and initiate pro-active security measures to thwart hostile plans," said Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana in a statement.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.
The referendum was presented in hopes of ending nearly five decades of a separatist rebellion that has left 150,000 people dead.
Western governments have welcomed the autonomy pact. They worry that small numbers of Islamic State-linked militants from the Middle East and Southeast Asia could forge an alliance with Filipino insurgents and turn the south into a breeding ground for extremists.
