COLUMNS

What a Recent Suicide Bombing May Mean for the Philippines

Jul 9, 2019 | 09:00 GMT

Police officers and soldiers stand outside a Catholic church in Jolo, Philippines, on Jan. 27, 2019, the day after two suicide bombings killed 20 people.

Suicide bombings in the Philippines are rare, and those that occurred recently, like the bombing of this Catholic church in Jolo in January that killed 20, have been blamed on foreign militants. The involvement of a Filipino in a June 28 suicide bombing could have significant implications for security in the country.

(NICKEE BUTLANGAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Highlights

Suicide bombings have been relatively rare in the Philippines, and Philippine authorities have blamed those that have occurred recently on foreign militants.
The involvement of a Filipino in a June 28 suicide bombing may indicate that local sentiment about suicide bombings is changing and the tactic may be more readily embraced.
Such a shift will carry implications for the security situation in the southern Philippines, and businesses and organizations operating there must be prepared.

Muslim militants in the southern Philippines have long used bombs in their decadeslong war against the government in Manila, but suicide bombings have been relatively rare and Philippine authorities have blamed foreign militants for those that have occurred in the past year. The involvement of a Filipino bomber in a June 28 attack on a military base could have significant implications for security in the region. ...

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