Two suspected Muslim militant suicide attackers detonated bombs in an army camp in the southern Philippines on Friday, killing three soldiers, two civilians and themselves, military officials said.

Twelve other soldiers were wounded in the "inhumane" attack by suspected Abu Sayyaf gunmen on the headquarters of an army brigade combat team in southern Sulu province's Indanan town, officials said.

About 300 newly deployed soldiers were based in the combat camp, they said.

The military has deployed large numbers of troops to predominantly Muslim Sulu to bolster a months-long offensive against remnants of the Abu Sayyaf, which is listed by the United States and the Philippines as a terrorist organisation for bombings, ransom kidnappings and beheadings.

Military officials initially provided sketchy details of the noontime attack and refused to confirm that suicide attackers were involved as an investigation was underway.

The Associated Press, however, saw an initial military report that blamed two suicide bombers for the deadly assault.

Regional military spokesman Maj. Arvin Encinas later acknowledged two suspected militants detonated the bombs in a rare suicide attack at the camp.

Two military officers, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss details of the attack, also corroborated Encinas' account.

"We will intensify our offensives to crush terrorist groups that hamper the stability and development in Sulu," he said in a statement.

One of the militants tried to enter the camp but was accosted by two soldiers at the gate. The militant managed to detonate his bomb, killing himself, the two soldiers who stopped him outside the gate and a third soldier behind the gate, which was damaged by the powerful blast, Encinas and the two military officers said.

"They saw that first suspect but he still managed to detonate the IED he was carrying," Encinas told reporters, referring to an improvised explosive device or homemade bomb.

The second militant dashed into the camp but was shot by other soldiers, who went on alert after hearing the first explosion.

He yelled "Allahu akbar" or "God is great" before setting off the bomb that he carried, damaging vehicles in a parking lot, one of the military officers said.

The attackers were young, perhaps age 18 to 20, the officer said, adding it was not immediately clear if they were Filipinos or foreigners.

In addition to the three soldiers and two suicide bombers, two villagers were killed at the scene of the attack, army spokesman Lt. Col. Ramon Zagala said.

Battle setbacks have reduced the number of Abu Sayyaf armed fighters to less than 400 but they have remained a national security threat. They were the main suspects in a Jan. 27 bombing of a Roman Catholic cathedral during a Mass that killed 23 people in Sulu's capital town of Jolo.

The cathedral attack by two suspected suicide bombers sparked the military offensive against the Abu Sayyaf, some commanders of which have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group.

Abu Sayyaf militants have largely thrived on ransom kidnappings and extortion. although defense officials say they may have received foreign funds, including from the Islamic State group, to finance attacks.

After their last known hostage, Dutch birdwatcher Ewold Horn, was killed by his captors during a clash with troops in May, the militants no longer hold any hostages in their jungle bases in Sulu for the first time in years due to constant offensives and tightened security. That caused the militants to become more desperate, military officials said. </s> Philippines Insurgency Update: Suspected Suicide Bombings in Philippine Army Camp Kills 7 by Jim Gomez – Associated Press

Two suspected Muslim militant suicide attackers detonated bombs in an army camp in the southern Philippines on Friday, killing three soldiers, two civilians and themselves, military officials said.

Twelve other soldiers were wounded in the "inhumane" attack by suspected Abu Sayyaf gunmen on the headquarters of an army brigade combat team in southern Sulu province's Indanan town, officials said. About 300 newly deployed soldiers were based in the combat camp, they said.

The military has deployed large numbers of troops to predominantly Muslim Sulu to bolster a months-long offensive against remnants of the Abu Sayyaf, which is listed by the United States and the Philippines as a terrorist organization for bombings, ransom kidnappings and beheadings.

Military officials initially provided sketchy details of the noontime attack and refused to confirm that suicide attackers were involved as an investigation was underway. The Associated Press, however, saw an initial military report that blamed two suicide bombers for the deadly assault… </s> Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 29) — The death toll in the twin blasts at a military camp in Sulu province has risen to eight, authorities said Saturday.

Major Arvin Encinas, spokesperson of the military's Western Mindanao Command (WesMinCom), told CNN Philippines among the dead were three soldiers, three civilians, and two suspected suicide bombers. At least 12 soldiers and 10 civilians were hurt, WesMinCom chief Major General Cirilito Sobejana said.

Twin explosions rocked the headquarters of the 1st Brigade Combat Team at Sitio Tanjung, Barangay Kajatian in Indanan town around noon Friday.

Authorities are investigating the attack, and are eyeing the involvement of the Abu Sayyaf group, which is notorious for bombings and kidnappings in the province.

An initial probe showed that one of the two suspected bombers detonated an explosive while being checked prior to entry at the military camp. The other suspect dashed inside, was shot, but was still able to detonate another explosive, Encinas said. He explained the camp was open for "civilian friends."

In an interview with CNN Philippines, Sobejana said that they are looking into the similarities with the Jolo cathedral blasts last January.

"There was a similarity, only that the bombing five months ago at the Jolo cathedral, the first bomb exploded inside the cathedral itself and the succeeding was coming from outside. This time the first explosion happened just in front of the gate, and when the gate was opened another person broke through and the explosion took place at the middle of the camp," Sobejana said.

He added that the improvised explosive devices (IEDs) used in both attacks were of the same kind.

"Other than we're looking at the same scenario, the signature IEDs were also the same," he said.

AFP condemns twin blasts at Sulu military camp | https://t.co/sDo55hwVGt pic.twitter.com/pvEe5OBPgT — CNN Philippines (@cnnphilippines) June 29, 2019

In a separate statement, Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito Galvez strongly condemned the attack, but asked that judgment be withheld until the investigation is completed.

"Reports suggest that the two civilians who died in the attack were the possible perpetrators. However, let us all hold our judgment until the investigation being conducted by authorities is completed," Galvez said.

He added that the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Unity and Reconciliation stand in solidarity with the people of Sulu.

Following the incident, Metro Manila police chief, Maj. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar placed the region under full alert at 6 p.m. on Friday as a preemptive move. </s> JOLO, Philippines (AP) — An Abu Sayyaf commander aligned with the Islamic State group most likely plotted the suicide attacks on an army camp in the volatile southern Philippines by two militants whose identities remain unknown, a Philippine official said Saturday.

Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano cited intelligence as showing Hajan Sawadjaan most likely harbored the two suicide bombers and plotted Friday’s attack in an army camp that killed three soldiers, two civilians and themselves. The military says 22 other soldiers and civilians were wounded.

The Islamic State group claimed in a statement that two of its fighters carried out the attack with explosive belts but overstated the military casualties at about 100. It posted what it claimed was a picture of the two young-looking militants before the attack, wearing what appeared to be explosive vests and standing beside a black IS-style flag with lush foliage in the backdrop.

Ano and other security officials have previously blamed Sawadjaan, who is based in the jungles of Sulu province’s mountainous Patikul town, for the Jan. 27 suicide bombing of a Roman Catholic cathedral during a Mass that killed 23 people in Sulu’s capital town of Jolo. He is also the suspected mastermind of a July 31, 2018, explosion of a bomb-laden van that killed its driver, reportedly a foreign jihadist with Moroccan blood, and 10 other people in nearby Basilan province.

The Associated Press has seen a captured militant’s video of the foreign jihadist, who used the nom de guerre Abu Kathir Al-Maghribi, with Sawadjaan and his men in a jungle encampment before the foreign militant died in last year’s blast in Basilan.

Philippine officials vowed to hunt down and destroy Sawadjaan and his men.

“We’ve monitored Sawadjaan’s group training suicide bombers before they were deployed. So we will go to the source and destroy his camp,” Ano said.

“If these bandits have not learned from the terrorists who were annihilated in Marawi, then this time they will,” said presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo, referring to the southern city where Philippine troops quelled a five-month siege two years ago and killed hundreds of Islamic State group-linked militants and their commanders.

In Friday’s attack, military officials said one militant tried to enter the camp but set off his explosive when he was stopped, killing three soldiers at the gate. The second militant dashed into the camp but was shot by other soldiers. He yelled “Allahu akbar,” or “God is great,” before detonating the bomb that he carried, damaging vehicles in a parking lot.

If the two attackers turn out to be Filipinos, they would be the first known local suicide attackers in the country’s south, a prospect deemed unlikely by some Filipino officials in the past. The southern region has been the scene of decades-long minority Muslim unrest in the largely Roman Catholic nation.

“Philippine authorities were always deluding themselves to think that somehow it was impossible culturally for Filipinos to become suicide bombers,” said Jakarta-based terrorism analyst Sidney Jones. “This isn’t about culture, it’s about indoctrination, and no one is culturally ‘immune.'”

The suicide attacks underscore an effort by Islamic State group supporters in the region, especially in the Philippines, to show that despite the brutal group’s battle setbacks in the Middle East, “their commitment to the caliphate remains and their fight will continue,” Jones said.

Battle setbacks have reduced the number of Abu Sayyaf armed fighters to less than 400 but they have remained a national security threat. Mostly based in impoverished Sulu and outlying islands, the group has been blacklisted as a terrorist band by the United States and the Philippines for bombings, ransom kidnappings and beheadings.

Associated Press journalists Jim Gomez in Manila and Maamoun Youssef in Cairo contributed to this report. </s> MANILA — Two suspected Muslim militant suicide attackers detonated bombs in an army camp in the southern Philippines on Friday, killing three soldiers, two civilians and themselves, military officials said.

Twelve other soldiers were wounded in the “inhumane” attack by suspected Abu Sayyaf gunmen on the headquarters of an army brigade combat team in southern Sulu province’s Indanan town, officials said. About 300 newly deployed soldiers were based in the combat camp, they said.

The military has deployed large numbers of troops to predominantly Muslim Sulu to bolster a months-long offensive against remnants of the Abu Sayyaf, which is listed by the United States and the Philippines as a terrorist organization for bombings, ransom kidnappings and beheadings.

Military officials initially provided sketchy details of the noontime attack and refused to confirm that suicide attackers were involved as an investigation was under way. The Associated Press, however, saw an initial military report that blamed two suicide bombers for the deadly assault.

Regional military commander Maj. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana called the attack inhumane. “We will intensify our offensives to crush terrorist groups that hamper the stability and development in Sulu,” he said in a statement.

Abu Sayyaf militants have largely thrived on ransom kidnappings and extortion. although defense officials say they may have received foreign funds, including from the Islamic State, to finance attacks.

Jim Gomez is an Associated Press writer. </s> A suicide bomber killed two people in Egypt's restive North Sinai region on Thursday, a day after four headless bodies were found there.

The victims of the bombing were a civilian and a member of the security forces, security and medical sources said.

The bomber was shot before he reached a military checkpoint, his intended target, but his explosive belt detonated and killed the soldier and civilian, an Egyptian military spokesman said in a statement.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS) armed group claimed responsibility for the attack via its Amaq website, saying five members of the security forces were killed or wounded.

Multiple armed groups, some linked to ISIL, are active in the Sinai Peninsula and Egypt's army launched a major operation there in February last year.

Thursday's bombing took place at a car park in the town of Sheikh Zuweid, near the border with the Gaza Strip.

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Separately, two security sources said four headless bodies were found in an empty street in the North Sinai town of Bir al-Abd on Wednesday. Their families reported that the four men, aged 23 to 51, had been kidnapped.

Fighters stopped several cars before taking five people away and forcing them to lie down on the ground, a security source and three residents said. They killed four and kidnapped the fifth.

ISIL claimed responsibility for the beheadings, saying the four were spies for the Egyptian military. Security services were hunting down the perpetrators.

Egypt's State Information Service could not immediately be reached for comment.

The Egyptian military, which launched its campaign in Sinai after an attack in November 2017 on a mosque in which hundreds of worshippers died, says hundreds of fighters have been killed. </s> JOLO, Philippines — A Philippine official says an Abu Sayyaf commander aligned with the Islamic State group most likely plotted the suicide attacks on an army camp in the volatile south by two militants, whose identities remain unknown.

Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano cited intelligence Saturday as showing Hajan Sawadjaan most likely harboured the two suicide bombers and plotted Friday’s attack in an army camp that killed three soldiers, two civilians and themselves. The military says 22 other soldiers and civilians were wounded.

Sawadjaan is based in the jungles of southern Sulu province.

The Islamic State group said in a statement two of its fighters carried the attack with explosive belts but overstated the military casualties at about 100.

Ano said it remains unclear if the non-Arabic male attackers were Filipinos or foreigners. </s> Five suicide bombers blow themselves up during army raids on two Syrian refugee near Syria border.

Seven Lebanese soldiers were wounded on Friday when army raids on two refugee camps near the village of Arsal at the Lebanese-Syrian border were targeted by a group of suicide bombers.

"Five suicide bombings and a grenade attack targeted the Lebanese Army early Friday in the northeastern border town of Arsal, leaving seven soldiers wounded," the army said in a statement.

One attacker detonated a suicide vest in the al-Nour camp near Arsal, "lightly" injuring three soldiers, the army said.

Three other attackers blew themselves up but did not injure anyone.

Troops recovered four explosive devices during the raid.

"The army immediately detonated these devices in the places they were planted," the statement said.

Another attacker blew himself up in the nearby camp of al-Qariyeh, and a second attacker threw a grenade at troops, wounding four of them.

The army said its units were continuing with the raids, which are aimed at "arresting terrorists and seizing weapons".

Witnesses reported hearing intermittent bursts of gunfire in the area.

The wounded soldiers were airlifted to hospital by a Lebanese army helicopter, Tayyar media reported.

About 70,000 Syrian refugees live in camps in and around Arsal, some of the more than one million Syrians who have fled to Lebanon to escape a bloody civil war on the other side of the border.

Lebanon's military has stepped up its crackdown on fighters connected to the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) in the remote area close to the Syria border.

About 1,500 fighters are still believed to be operating near the flashpoint town of Arsal, which was overrun by ISIL in 2014.

Across the border, advances by the Syrian army, backed by the Lebanese Hezbollah movement, last year cut off the rebels from the east, leaving them surrounded in an area straddling the border.

Both the ISIL and the al-Qaeda-linked Jabhat Fateh al-Sham are still there, living in caves, ramshackle homes and other makeshift dwellings, according to the Lebanese army. </s> Officials say at least 20 have been killed and 34 wounded in blast at a market in Musayyib, south of Baghdad.

At least 20 people have been killed and 34 wounded after a suicide bomber detonated explosives at a market in the Iraqi town of Musayyib, south of the capital, Baghdad, according to police.

"A suicide bomber blew himself up in Musayyib market, causing 20 civilian martyrs," an interior ministry spokesman told the AFP news agency

A police officer and a medic at a local hospital said at least 34 people had been wounded in the blast.

The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) armed group claimed the attack in a statement on its Amaq website.

Musayyib, about 60km south of Baghdad, has been hit by several attacks in recent years.

At least 22 people were killed and 50 wounded in 2014 when a mortar struck a busy area of the town.

Less than two weeks ago, two blasts in the space of 12 hours ripped through Baghdad, killing at least 27 people and wounding more than 100 others. ISIL claimed responsibility for the first suicide car bomb attack, which took place in the district of Karrada.

READ MORE: How the war changed Ramadan in Baghdad

Last July, ISIL claimed an attack that killed nearly 300 people in the worst attack to hit the capital in 13 years of war.

Further north, Iraqi forces are currently fighting to retake the last ISIL-held areas of Mosul.

Iraqi commanders say the offensive, which recently entered its eighth month, will mark the end of ISIL in Iraq, but concede the group will likely increase attacks in the wake of military defeats.
Two suicide bombers detonate their devices in Sulu, Philippines, killing four soldiers and two civilians. ISIL claims responsibility.