“The Cotabato attack may be part of a plan to ‘sow terror’ in central Mindanao…”
That’s certainly not unheard of: “Against them make ready your strength to the utmost of your power, including steeds of war, to strike terror into the hearts of the enemies of Allah and your enemies” (Qur’an 8:60).
Philippines Jihad Update. “Philippines Bombs Kill 6 People, Injure 53 in South (Update3),” by Clarissa Batino and Francisco Alcuaz, Jr. for Bloomberg, July 7:
July 7 (Bloomberg) — Two bombs exploded in separate locations in the southern Philippine island of Mindanao, killing six people and injuring 53.
Police on the island were placed on “full alert” following the blasts, Philippine National Police Chief General Jesus Versoza said in a media briefing.
Six people died and about 40 were hurt when an explosion occurred near a gasoline station in Jolo after 8 a.m. local time, police spokesman Jose Bayani Gucela said in a mobile phone message today.
Two hours later, an improvised bomb exploded near a pawnshop in Iligan, injuring 13 people, including three soldiers, the military said in a statement. This was the third blast in three days in the region, where Muslim separatist groups are demanding an independent Islamic state and the al- Qaeda-linked group Abu Sayyaf is active.
The death toll from a July 5 blast in Cotabato City rose to six after an injured infant died in a hospital, Colonel Romeo Brawner, a spokesman for the armed forces, said by telephone.
The Cotabato attack may be part of a plan to “sow terror” in central Mindanao and divert authorities from pursuing rogue commanders of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, the main Muslim separatist group in the country, Brawner said.
It is unclear whether the blasts were carried out by the same group, he said. As many as 56 bombs have exploded or been discovered in central Mindanao this year, Brawner added.